Little Known Facts with Ilana Levine

NANCY ALLSOP - Theatre includes: The Hills Of California (Harold Pinter Theatre, West End); The Fever Syndrome (Hampstead Theatre); God Bless the Child(Royal Court Theatre); Annie (Piccadilly Theatre, West End); The Sound of Music(International Tour); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Manchester Cathedral). Television includes “Young Wallander” (Netflix). LARA McDONNELL - Lara’s feature credits include the Academy Award-winning Belfast, written and directed by Kenneth Branagh for Focus Features/Universal; Artemis Fowl, also directed by Kenneth Branagh, for Disney; Greatest Days for Elysian Films; Visitation (Blinder Films); The Delinquent Season (Parallel Films) and Love, Rosie (Canyon Creek/Constantin Films). Television includes “The Last Bus” (Wildseed/Netflix), “The Holiday” (Chalkboard), “Ballistic” (Automatik Entertainment/New Regency) and “To Walk Invisible,” written and directed by Sally Wainwright for BBC. Stage work includes the title role in Matilda for the RSC/West End and The Hills of California in the West End. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Owen Thiele is an actor and writer based in Los Angeles. He’s currently leading FX’s Snowflakes, set to premiere in early 2025. He’s known best for Theater Camp, I Think You Should Leave, Dollface, and Hacks. He has a podcast that lives under Alexandra Cooper’s Unwell network called “In Your Dreams with Owen Thiele” and he is developing a semi-autobiographical 30 minute comedy with Ilana Glazer and Kent Alterman at Amazon Studios.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Susanna Styron is a writer and director for film and television, and a documentary filmmaker.  Her latest documentary short, MY FATHER’S NAME, won Best Documentary in the NYWIFT Online Shorts Festival and is on the 2024-25 festival circuit. Susanna’s documentary feature, OUT OF MY HEAD, premiered in MoMA's Doc Fortnight and went on to win Best International Documentary at the Melbourne Documentary Film festival. Her other documentary credits as writer/director include 9/12: FROM CHAOS TO COMMUNITY; IN OUR OWN BACKYARDS; and SUSPENDED SENTENCE. She began her documentary career as an Associate Producer for ABC-TV's documentary division, Close-Up. Susanna's debut feature, Sony Pictures' SHADRACH, starring Harvey Keitel and Andie MacDowell, which she directed and co-wrote, premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was one of New York Press critic Armond White's top ten films of the year. She wrote and directed for Sidney Lumet's TV series 100 CENTRE STREET, and wrote for Tom Fontana's BORGIA. Susanna co-authored several TV movies for Hallmark Hall of Fame and Lifetime, including an adaptation of Ann Tyler's BACK WHEN WE WERE GROWN-UPS, with Blythe Danner, Peter Fonda and Faye Dunaway; and the award-winning TAKING BACK OUR TOWN, with Ruby Dee. Her dramatic short, HOUSE OF TEETH, which she wrote and directed, won numerous awards on the festival circuit, aired on Shorts TV, and is available on Amazon. She directed several episodes of Brooke Adams and Lynne Adams' web series ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE. Susanna’s personal essays have appeared in The Yale Revue, SPIN Magazine, The New York Times and Real Simple magazine. She serves on the Special Projects Committee of the Directors Guild of America, and the Executive Committee of the Writers Guild Initiative, where she conducts writing workshops with underserved communities such as caregivers of wounded veterans, undocumented immigrant youth and LGBTQ asylum seekers, among others. She currently has projects in development with The Levinson/Fontana Company, Cinetic Media, and EP/Showrunner Carol Barbee.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Wain is the director and co-writer of six feature films, including Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models, Wanderlust, They Came Together and A Futile and Stupid Gesture.  On television, Wain co-created, directed and co-starred in The State, Childrens Hospital, Stella, Medical Police, and two Wet Hot American Summer mini-series for Netflix. Currently he is the director and executive producer of Mr. Throwback, starring Steph Curry and Adam Pally.  He's acted in dozens of movies & TV shows including Broad City, Another Period, Drunk History, Portlandia, Bob's Burgers, Murderville and his own web series Wainy Days.  And over the past few years, he’s been jamming, touring, and making videos as the drummer in the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band. He grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, then did 26 years in Manhattan before moving to Los Angeles where he now lives with his two teenage sons. Lots more at davidwain.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1976 - 2024 Gavin Creel received a Tony Award® for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in HELLO, DOLLY! starring Bette Midler. After making his Broadway debut originating the role of Jimmy Smith in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, for which he received his first Tony Award® nomination, Creel went on to star in the Broadway productions of HAIR (Tony Award® nomination), LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, SHE LOVES ME, THE BOOK OF MORMON, and WAITRESS. Creel was among the star-studded cast of New York City Center Encores! critically acclaimed production of INTO THE WOODS starring as Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince. The celebrated production transferred to Broadway where Creel reprised his role as Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince opposite Sara Bareilles, Brian d’Arcy James, Joshua Henry, Julia Lester and Patina Miller.  Gavin received an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Elder Price in the London Production of THE BOOK OF MORMON and also appeared on the West End in MARY POPPINS, HAIR, and WAITRESS. This fall, Gavin brings WALK ON THROUGH: Confessions of a Museum Novice to Off-Broadway’s MCC Theater for a limited run. In his theatrical songwriting debut, Gavin takes us on an intimate, relatable journey of discovery and transformation through the lens of the art at The Met Museum that captured his imagination. On television, Creel recently performed a solo PBS concert special with “Stars on Stage",” starred as Troy in Ryan Murphy’s anthology series “American Horror Stories” and played Bill alongside Julie Andrews in “Eloise at the Plaza” and “Eloise at Christmasttime.” As a songwriter, Creel is currently writing an original musical piece entitled WALK ON THROUGH, based on the collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The musical has been selected for the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center’s 2022 National Musical Theatre Conference and the concert meets musical was highlighted in The Day. He has released three original albums: GoodTimeNation, Quiet (which landed on Billboard’s “Top Heat Seekers”), Get Out, and his single “Noise” raised money and awareness for marriage equality. Creel was a co-founder of Broadway Impact, the first and only grassroots organization to mobilize the nationwide theater community in support of marriage equality. A native of Findlay, Ohio, Gavin is a proud graduate of University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance and a 2022 Fellow at the Hermitage Artist Retreat.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Evan Handler is beloved by millions for portraying Harry Goldenblatt, divorce-lawyer-turned-husband to Kristin Davis’s Charlotte York, on HBO’s groundbreaking series, and films, “Sex and the City,” it’s current MAX follow-up, “And Just Like That,” as well as Charlie Runkle on Showtime’s seven season “Californication.” In addition to authoring two highly acclaimed books, Time on Fire: My Comedy of Terrors, and It’s Only Temporary: The Good News and the Bad News of Being Alive, Evan has played leading roles in ABC’s “It’s Like, You Know…,” and NBC’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” STARZ’ “Power,” and made numerous memorable guest appearances on “Lost,” “The West Wing,” “Six Feet Under,” “Necessary Roughness,” and “Friends.” In 2000, Evan played Larry Fine in ABC’s TV movie “The Three Stooges,” followed by additional “real life” portrayals of Lloyd Blankfein in HBO’s “Too Big to Fail,” Alan Dershowitz in FX’s “People vs. OJ Simpson,” and Hal Prince in FX’s “Fosse/Verdon,” each of which garnered numerous wide-ranging awards. On the big screen, Evan played a leading role in Ron Howard’s “Ransom,” starring Mel Gibson, and featured and leading roles Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born Killers,” “Taps,” “The Chosen,” and “Sweet Lorraine.” He’s currently visible in David Duchovny’s directorial effort, “Reverse the Curse.” Prior to his work in film and television, Evan earned acclaim in seven Broadway productions, all performed between his twenty-first and thirtieth birthdays, and all in spite of losing nearly five years of that span to his fight against a supposedly “incurable” leukemia. During this time Evan starred in Broadway productions of “Six Degrees of Separation,” “I Hate Hamlet,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “Broadway Bound” and “Master Harold...and the boys.” Evan also worked extensively in off-Broadway and regional theater at NY’s Public Theater, Manhattan Theater Club, Playwrights Horizons, Seattle Rep, and Steppenwolf, performing early plays by Donald Margulies, Robert Schenkkan, Jez Butterworth, and numerous others. Evan’s first book, Time On Fire, details his unlikely recovery from the leukemia diagnosed in the mid-1980s. His second book, It’s Only Temporary: The Good News and the Bad News of Being Alive, describes the twenty-year period post-illness, and Handler’s surprisingly circuitous journey toward gratitude, using tales of serial dating, absurd relationships, unexpected depressions, and, ultimately, lasting love and a miracle conception. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lucie Tiberghien - A Brooklynite since 2001, Molière in the Park’s Founding Artistic Director Lucie Tiberghien was raised in France and Switzerland. Specializing in new work, Lucie spent 15 years developing and directing new plays in New York City and all over the country. She directed World Premieres at La Jolla Playhouse, CATF, Second Stage, Rattlestick Theater, Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, Kansas City Rep, Manhattan Class Company and more. As a translator and adapter, Lucie’s work has been produced in Paris and in New York. In 2021, she was awarded the prestigious designation of chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres, by the French Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lindsey Ferrentino is an American playwright with three world premieres in the 2024 season. In May, she opened The Artist in the UK (co-adapted with Drew McConie, Theatre Royal Plymouth,) and this August, she will premiere the new musical The Queen of Versailles (book by Lindsey Ferrentino, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, starring Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham, The Colonial Theater). Her other produced plays include Ugly Lies the Bone (The Lyttleton - National Theatre, UK, Roundabout Theatre Company, NY, over 100 productions worldwide), Amy and the Orphans (Roundabout Theatre Company), This Flat Earth (Playwrights Horizons), The Year to Come (La Jolla Playhouse) — among others. Her plays have been translated into Spanish, German, and Portuguese and have been produced across the US, in London, Germany, Spain, and Venezuela. This winter, Lindsey will direct her first feature film - an adaptation of her play Amy and the Orphans for Jason Bateman’s Aggregate Films. She has various film projects in development at Netflix and Sony Pictures — with producers including Higher Ground, 3 Dot Entertainment, Dylan Clark Productions, Defiant by Nature. Lindsey is the recipient of The Arc’s prize for Entertainment Industry Excellence for her writing centered on disability inclusion. Other prizes include: the Kesserling, ASCAP Cole Porter Playwriting Prize, Paul Newman Drama Award, Laurents/Hatcher Award, NYU Distinguished Alumna Award, and Hunter College’s 40 Under 40 Distinguished Alumna. Lindsey is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content and Felker & Associates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stan Herman The three-time Coty award-winning designer Stan Herman is truly a pioneering man. Not only was he the President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America for sixteen years, but also the founding president of 7th on Sixth Corporation; the fashion shows in Bryant Park. With KOMAR, Stan has incorporated his ready-to-wear design savvy to become America’s foremost designer of robes and loungewear. His comfortable, lifestyle driven products can be found on QVC, QVCUK, QVCItaly. After over 24 years on air he has built a return customer base of over 300,000 people and has sold over $150 million worth of robes alone. Furthermore as the leading uniform designer in the world his uniforms arguably cover more bodies than any other single designer. As a pioneer in the industry, Stan popularized "fashion at a price" with his Mr. Mort label; a label sought by vintage collectors today. When most designers were relegated to backrooms, he served as a spokesman for the creative side of the industry, championing designer names on labels, and watching out for the good of his colleagues. He was on the vanguard of designer boutiques with Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and in-store designer partnerships with Henri Bendel. Mr. Herman popularized the Designer Uniform. His list of corporate clients has included many of the world's leading corporations. FedEx, Jet Blue, United Airlines, TWA, U.S. Airways McDonald's, and Amtrak, Avis, Humana, RCCL, and Securitas along with Las Vegas Hotels including Paris, MGM Grand, Monte Carlo and Mandalay Bay. He just launched the redesign for the newly re-opened Regency Hotel as well as the rest of the Loews Hotel system. He has redesigned the next look for FedEx and the new JetBlue uniform. Ann Leary is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels, THE FOUNDLING, THE CHILDREN, THE GOOD HOUSE, OUTTAKES FROM A MARRIAGE, and the memoir, AN INNOCENT, A BROAD. She has written for numerous publications including Ploughshares, NPR, Real Simple and the New York Times. Her novel, THE GOOD HOUSE was adapted as a motion picture starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline and will be released in theaters in September, 2022. Her new essay collection, I’VE TRIED BEING NICE (Simon Element/MarysueRucci) will be published on June 4, 2024 Ann and her husband Denis Leary live in New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chilina Kennedy is known for playing Carole King in the musical Beautiful on Broadway for over 1,200 performances. She also recently originated the Tony-award winning role of Dina on the First Broadway National Tour of The Band’s Visit. Chilina’s first appearance on Broadway was in 2012 when she played Mary Magdalene in Des McAnuff’s Jesus Christ Superstar, which also had successful runs at the Stratford Festival of Canada and the La Jolla Playhouse. Other US credits include the world premiere of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, in which she originated the role of Phoebe at Hartford Stage and The Old Globe in San Diego (San Diego and Connecticut Outer Critics nominations), the world premiere of A Sign Of The Times as Cindy (Delaware Theatre Company), Binky in the Off-Broadway world premiere of This Ain’t No Disco (Dir. Darko Tresnjak/Chor. Camille A. Brown) and Sophie in the 1st US National Tour of Mamma Mia!. Selected Canadian credits include the title role in Ted Dykstra’s Evangeline (Charlottetown Festival and original recording), the title role in Ross Petty’s Pantomime The Little Mermaid (Toronto Critic’s Award), three seasons at the Stratford Festival (three Broadways World Awards) including Maria in Gary Griffin’s West Side Story, Eva Peròn in Evita, Lois Lane in Kiss Me Kate, three seasons at the Shaw Festival, the World Premiere of The Lord of the Rings (Mirvish), Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Stratford/Toronto), Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest (Neptune), and the title role in Mary Poppins (Theatre Aquarius). Chilina is also a singer/songwriter with a debut album What You Find in a Bottle, released in 2015. Chilina has written a new musical Call It Love with Eric Holmes, who is known for being a writer for “The Good Fight” on CBS. Featuring music and lyrics by Chilina, book co-written by Eric and Chilina, and musical arrangements by Rick Fox, Call It Love has been developed in the New York City area by Eclipse Theatre Company (http://eclipsetheatre.ca/). Chilina has worked with Burt Bacharach, guest starred in concert with the TSO, Colm Wilkinson and Jason Robert Brown. You can hear Chilina’s voice on CBC’s “Celebrate the Seasons” and “Carols for a Cure.” Chilina is a graduate of Sheridan College and the Birmingham Conservatory for classical theatre Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stephen Belber’s plays have been produced on Broadway and in over 25 countries. They include Match (Frank Langella), McReele (Anthony Mackie), Dusk Rings A Bell (Kate Walsh/Paul Sparks), Fault Lines (Noah Emmerich, Josh Lucas, Dominic Fumusa), The Power of Duff (Greg Kinnear/Jennifer Westfeldt/Ben Platt/Dominic Fumusa), Tape, Geometry of Fire, Don’t Go Gentle, The Muscles In Our Toes, Joan, and others. He was an Associate Writer/actor for The Laramie Project, and co-writer/actor on The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, both of which have been consistently performed around the world. He’s written & directed 3 feature films: Management (Jennifer Aniston/Woody Harrelson), Match (Patrick Stewart/Carla Gugino), and What We Do Next (Karen Pittman/Corey Stoll). Film scripts include Tape (Ethan Hawke/Uma Thurman, directed by Richard Linklater), The Laramie Project (associate writer, Emmy nomination), Drifting Elegant, (Josh Stamberg/Jennifer Mudge) and O.G., (Jeffrey Wright, HBO Films). Two film remakes of Tape, in India and Hong Kong, will be released in the coming year, and a play version is currently running in rep in Israel. Has worked on numerous studio films (including Dallas Buyers Club), and developed and sold projects to all the major studios, with actors and directors such Bennett Miller, Todd Phillips, Jay Roach, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Philip Seymour Hoffman, George Tillman, Greg Mottola, Sam Rockwell, David Gordon Green, and Anthony Mackie. Television includes Law & Order SVU, Rescue Me, Tommy, The First, and pilots for HBO, Netflix, F/X, ABC, TNT, USA, Fox, Paramount, Sony, and History Channel. He created and is showrunner for an 8-part original TV series called The Madness (starring Colman Domingo), which will be released by Netflix on Thanksgiving Day, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ERIC WILLIAM MORRIS Broadway: King Kong, Coram Boy, Mamma Mia! Eric frequently collaborates with composer Joe Iconis, starring in Be More Chill (Original Cast Recording, Two River Theatre), Things to Ruin (OCR, 2nd Stage) and Bloodsong of Love (Ars Nova). TV/Film includes Fleishman is in Trouble, Only Murders in the Building, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Mind Hunter, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and the recent feature film Pinball (Hulu). Other regional/Off Broadway: Michael R. Jackson's White Girl In Danger (2nd Stage/Vineyard) Richard Greenberg's The Perplexed (MTC); Songbird (59E59, Two River); The Ballad of Little Jo (OCR, Two River); The Last Goodbye, Dog & Pony (The Old Globe). His album of original rock music, Do You Understand? is available on all streaming platforms. @theericwmorris   NOAH WEISBERG Willy Wonka in the Broadway tour of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Broadway: South Pacific, Enron, Elf, Legally Blonde. Shakespeare in the Park: Two Gentlemen of Verona. TV: Quentin on Showtime’s Super Pumped, Danny Michael Davis on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Brett on Modern Family, The Neighborhood, Major Crimes, Law & Order, K.C. Undercover, Wisdom of the Crowd, The Good Wife, iCarly, Franklin & Bash, Bad Teacher, Bones, The New Normal, Cashmere Mafia, Love Monkey, Indoor Boys. Film: writer, director, actor in award winning Thank You Kindly and What’s Life Got to Do with It. Education: NYU, UCB, Second City. Instagram: @NoahWeisberg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historical Fiction Novelists Marjan Kamali, Ann Hood and Iris Mwanza live from Bryant Park Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bill Rauch is the inaugural Artistic Director of Perelman Performing Arts Center. His work as a theater director has been seen across the nation, from low-income community centers to Broadway in the Tony Award-winning production of Robert Schenkkan’s All the Way and its sequel The Great Society, as well as at many of the largest regional theaters in the country. His other New York credits include the world premiere of Naomi Wallace’s Night Is a Room at Signature Theatre, the New York premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House at Lincoln Center Theater, and a site-specific Occasional Grace in multiple Manhattan churches for En Garde Arts. From 2007 to 2019, Bill was artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), the country’s oldest and largest rotating repertory theater, where he directed seven world premieres and 20 other plays including several by Shakespeare as well as innovative productions of classic musicals including a queer re-envisioning of Oklahoma! Bill is also co-founder of Cornerstone Theater Company where he served as artistic director from 1986 to 2006, directing more than 40 productions, most of them collaborations with diverse rural and urban communities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emma Pittman is a Mississippi native, Wagner College graduate, and winner of “The Search For Roxie.” Broadway: Chicago (Roxie & Annie), Back to the Future OBC (Ensemble) Regional: The Drowsy Chaperone (Janet), Damn Yankees (Lola). Emma is also a teaching artist, director, and choreographer. Her choreography credits include: On the Twentieth Century, Into the Woods, and The Cradle Will Rock. Danya Taymor is a New York based director and winner of the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for The Outsiders. She reopened Broadway with Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu's Pass Over, the first play back after 18 months of darkness on Broadway (New York Times 10 best shows of 2021). Other recent work includes: Samuel Beckett's Endgame (Gate, Dublin), Will Arbery's Pulitzer Prize Finalist Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Obie Award, Callaway Award for Outstanding Direction) and Evanston Salt Costs Climbing (New Group), Jeremy O. Harris' "Daddy" (Almeida, London + New Group/Vineyard), Korde Arrington Tuttle's Graveyard Shift (Goodman Theater), Martyna Majok's queens (Lincoln Center), Danai Gurira's Familiar (Steppenwolf), and Brian Watkins’ My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer and Wyoming (The Flea + Lesser America). Her world-premiere production of Pass Over was filmed in collaboration with Spike Lee, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is streaming on Amazon Prime. Recipient of the Cullman Award for Extraordinary Creativity from Lincoln Center. BA: Duke University.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary Indie Rock trio BETTY, Alyson Palmer (vocals, bass, guitar), Elizabeth Ziff (vocals, guitar, electronic programming) and her sister, Amy Ziff (vocals and cello), use beguiling melodies, compelling lyrics and signature harmonies to create energetic live shows that mix music, performance art, politics and comedy. BETTY sings of joy, love, longing, sex, food, heartbreak, and the universal hilarity of human existence. More than a band, BETTY uses music to channel their passion for representation, fairness and equality. From the beginning, they’ve blended their voices for causes they fight for, their talents in collaboration with other artists of every medium, and their time in support of women and girls, worldwide. In addition to creating, performing and recording together as a group of independent artists since 1986, BETTY travels the world as Arts Envoys for the US Department of State. To further their humanitarian outreach and cultural diplomacy, Gloria Steinem advised them to form a non-profit, which they did in 2014. The BETTY Effect’s mission is using music and performance techniques to help others communicate and connect for personal power, social progress and peace, especially women and girls and LGBTQIA communities. BETTY has been featured on national and international radio, television – including their iconic theme song for the L Word – and in films, commercials, jingles, recordings, streaming projects and concert venues across five continents. They have contributed as guest artists to dozens of recordings and compilation albums, and their soundscapes can be heard in art installations, like Darren Waterston “Filthy Lucre” at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MOCA), The Smithsonian Institute and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Their Off-Broadway musical, BETTY RULES, was another show in a glittering string of hits directed by Michael Greif (Days of Wine and Roses, Hell’s Kitchen, Dear Evan Hanson, Next to Normal, RENT.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WADE McCOLLUM (Actor) Broadway: Wicked (Witch’s Father, Wizard/Dr. Dillamond cover) London’s West End: World Premiere of It Happened in Key West (Carl) Broadway Tours: Lincoln Center Theatre’s My Fair Lady (Karpathy/Higgins cover), Priscilla Queen Of The Desert (Tick/Mitzi), Jersey Boys (Norm). Off-Broadway: Make Me Gorgeous, (Kate/Kenneth Marlowe), Triassic Parq (Velociraptor of Faith), Secondary Dominance (The Muse), and McCollum’s Lortel Nominated and Norton Award-winning performance as Ernest in Ernest Shackleton Loves Me. World Premieres: Water For Elephants, Alliance Theatre (Wade); Michael Weller’s A Welcome Guest, CATF (Shimeus); Rob Askins’ The Carpenter, Alley Theatre (Gene); Fly By Night, TheatreWorks Palo Alto (The Narrator). Select Theatre: I Am My Own Wife, PCS (Charlotte/Others); A Lie Of The Mind, PCPA (Jake); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Willamette Rep (Puck); Batboy the Musical, PCS (Batboy); The Rocky Horror Show, Triangle Productions (Frank-N-Furter); The Santaland Diaries, Syracuse Stage (Crumpet); Cabaret, Dallas Theatre Center (Emcee) – Dallas/Fort Worth Theatre Critics Award; Hedwig And The Angry Inch, Triangle Productions and L.A.’s Celebration Theatre (Hedwig) – Drammy, Ovation, Los Angeles Critics Circle, and Garland Awards. Select TV and film: “FBI: MW,” “Madame Secretary,” “The Knick,” “Nightcap,” “At Home with Amy Sedaris,” Options, “Prodigal Son,” Delicate Instruments, “Submissions Only,” and Ernest Shackleton Loves Me on broadwayhd.com. www.wadesong.com Rick Elice ( Book Writer) On Broadway: Jersey Boys (Best Musical, 2006 Tony Award, 2007 Grammy Award and 2009 Olivier Award); The Addams Family; Peter and the Starcatcher (winner of five 2012 Tony Awards);and The Cher Show (winner of two 2019 Tony Awards). In the pipeline: The Princess Bride and Smash, co-written with Bob Martin; Silver Linings Playbook, a musical adaptation of the popular film; The Marvels, a musical adaptation of the popular novel; and Treasure, an original musical written with 2021 Ed Kleban Award-winner Benjamin Scheuer. From 1982-1999, as creative director at Serino Coyne Inc, Rick created and produced ad campaigns for more than 300 Broadway shows, from A Chorus Line to The Lion King. From 1999-2009, he served as creative consultant for The Walt Disney Studio. Charter member, American Repertory Theatre. Trustee, The Actors’ Fund. BA, Cornell University; MFA, Yale Drama School; Teaching Fellow, Harvard University. Heartfelt thanks to those he’s been lucky enough to know, whose work makes him grateful for the day he was born: Sondheim, Stoppard, Bennett, Prince, Fosse, Robbins, Nichols, Tune, Nunn, Timbers, McAnuff, Laurents, Lippa, Stone, Taymor, Papp, Schumacher, Schneider, Costello, Coyne, Brickman, and eternally, Roger Rees. Hey Rog, look who’s running away with the circus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elisabeth Seldes Annacone is a screenwriter, producer and educator with over three decades experience in film & TV. Her career started working with Oliver Stone on WALL STREET, TALK RADIO, and BORN ON THE 4TH OF JULY. Elisabeth then served as VP for Francis Ford Coppola, during DRACULA, SECRET GARDEN, and BUDDY. As a Sr. VP at MGM, Elisabeth had a helping hand in films like GET SHORTY, MULHOLLAND FALLS, TWO DAYS IN THE VALLY. After getting her MFA from UCLA in screenwriting, Elisabeth’s first feature, THE GREAT LILLIAN HALL was released by HBO and stars Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates Pierce Brosnan, Jesse Williams and Lily Rabe. It is currently a New York Times critics’ pick. Her pilot, WEEKENDS, is at UTV with Debra Chase producing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calista can be seen starring in Ryan Murphy’s series FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans. The second installment of the Feud anthology is based on Capote's Women by Laurence Leamer and focuses on the story of how Truman Capote befriended society women Barbara "Babe" Paley, Gloria Guinness, Marella Agnelli, Slim Hayward, Pamela Churchill, C. Z. Guest, and Jackie Kennedy’s sister Lee Radziwill and then betrayed these women for a story. Calista stars as Lee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedy’s younger sister and wife of a Polish prince, who developed a strong kinship with Capote thanks in part to her poor relationship with Kennedy. The series also stars Tom Hollander as Capote, Naomi Watts, Chloë Sevigny, Diane Lane and Molly Ringwald. Flockhart made her TV debut portraying the title role in FOX’s widely popular and award-winning series “Ally McBeal,” created by David E. Kelley. She also starred in ABC’s critically acclaimed TV drama, “Brothers & Sisters,” a family soap revolving around the Walker family and their lives in Los Angeles. Additional TV credits include “Full Circle,” “Supergirl,” Lisa Kudrow’s improvisational comedy series on Showtime “Web Therapy,” “Facetiming with Mommy,” and the DreamWorks’ TV Series, “The Penguins of Madagascar.” Flockhart returned to her theatre roots as Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf for the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. She made her Broadway debut opposite Julie Harris in The Glass Menagerie, for which she received the Theatre World Award and the Clarence Derwent Best New Talent Award. New York theater credits include Neil LaBute’s Bash: Latter Day Plays; The Three Sisters; Warren Leight’s The Loop, which landed her the role of Gene Hackman’s daughter in Mike Nichols’ “The Birdcage;” Sophistry; Sons and Fathers; Wrong Turn at Lungfish; All for One and Caryll Churchill’s Mad Forest. Flockhart was “Juliet” in Romeo and Juliet at The Hartford Stage; “Cordelia” in King Lear at The Actors Theater in Louisville; “Irina” in The Three Sisters at the Goodman Theater in Chicago; and “Emily” in Our Town directed by the legendary Jose Quintero. Flockhart’s film credits include the independent thriller Fragile; Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her with Glenn Close and Cameron Diaz; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, co-starring Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Everett; Drunks; The Birdcage, which received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble; and Telling Lies in America co-starring Kevin Bacon and Brad Renfro.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dorian Harewood Broadway: The Mighty Gents, Streamers, Don' f Call Back, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Jesus Christ Superstar. National Tour: Kiss of the Spider Woman, Madame Lily, Miss Moffat. Regional: Purley (Kennedy Center). Film: Gothika, Levity, Pacific Heights, Full Metal Jacket, The Falcon and the Snowman, Against All Odds. TV: "Big Sky, " "Bel-Air," "9-1-1," "Criminal Minds," "Private Practice," " 7th Heaven," "The Practice," "12 Angry Men," "PlI Fly Away," "The Jesse Owens Story," "Roots: The Next Generations." Awards: NAACP Image Awards for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for "I* Il Fly Away" and Best Actor in a Television Mini-Series for "The Jesse Owens Story;* Theatre World Award for Best New Actor for Don't Call Back. Maryann Plunkett Originated the role of Older Allie at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in Fall 2022. Other Broadway includes: Agnes of God, Sunday in the Park with George, Me and My Girl (Tony Award®), The Crucible, St. Joan, A Man for All Seasons, The Seagull. Off-Broadway: Deep Blue Sound, The Sean O' Casey Dublin Trilogy at Irish Rep, The Lucky Ones, Aristocrats, Richard Nelson 's 12-play Rhinebeck Panorama (seen over a span of 11 years, onstage in NYC, on tour around the world, and live on Zoom during the pandemic). Films: Showing Up, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Little Women, MAD, Blue Valentine, The Family Fang, The Rhinebeck Panorama. TV: recurring roles on both "Manifest" and "Dr. Death" ; others include "New Amsterdam, " "The Knick," "Chicago Med," "Law and Order" franchise, "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Plunkett is a founding member of Portland Stage Company and is a coach and mentor. She has performed in Shakespeare, Chekhov, and as narrator with the Britten Sinfonia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SAMANTHA PAULY : Grammy nominee, Drama Desk winner. Broadway: Original Katherine Howard in SIX. West End: Eva Peron in Jamie Lloyd’s critically acclaimed Evita. Regional: SIX, Honeymoon In Vegas, Elf, Hairspray, Godspell, and more. Represented by Stewart Talent, Lohne/Graham Management, Gersh Agency, Imprint PR. @sampauly  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kecia Lewis is celebrating 40 triumphant years as a dynamic storyteller on stage and screen in the entertainment industry. Lewis' rich career of portraying formidable women has come full circle with her critically acclaimed, Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle nominated, and Lucille Lortel Award winning performance of Miss Liza Jane in Alicia Keys' Broadway hit musical Hell's Kitchen. Entertainment Weekly proclaims "Lewis is commanding...her voice is a weapon, and she knows just when to fire." Kecia's Broadway journey began with her debut at 18 years old in the original company of Dreamgirls. In addition to originating on Broadway iconic roles in Once On This Island, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Leap of Faith, Kecia has graced the Broadway stage in The Gospel at Colonus (with Morgan Freeman), Big River, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (standby for Nell Carter) and Children of a Lesser God. Off Broadway she has starred in the title role of Mother Courage (CSC), The Skin of Our Teeth (TFNA - Obie Award Winner), Dessa Rose (LCT - Drama Desk nom.), and Marie and Rosetta (ATC - Lortel & Drama League Nom, Obie Award Winner). Kecia's work on the reboot of MAD ABOUT YOU was loved by fans and critics alike. Other selected TV guest and recurring roles include "And Just Like That" (Max), "With Love" (Amazon), "The Passage (Fox), The Blacklist (NBC), Law and Order SVU (NBC) and “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” (Hulu). As a vocalist Kecia has performed in Canada, Switzerland, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Russia. Kecia can also be seen in Evan Parter’s feature “The Independent” alongside Brian Cox, Jodie Turner-Smith and John Cena which is now streaming on Peacock.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eden Espinosa - After developing Lempicka at The Williamstown Theatre Festival and The Jolla Playhouse, Eden is thrilled to return to Broadway and originate her second titular role. Broadway: Wicked (Elphaba), Rent (Maureen), Brooklyn the Musical (Broadway). Tour: Falsettos (Trina, National Tour). Off-Broadway: Gardens of Anuncia (Mami, Lincoln Center), Rain (The Old Globe), In The Heights (Kennedy Center), Lizzie (Emma, Signature), and Merrily We Roll Along (Mary, Huntington). Eden's original albums are available on all streaming platforms. @edenespinosa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Shenkman recently completed his seventh season of BILLIONS and recurred on the final season of THE GOOD FIGHT, Peacock's THE CALLING, and Robert & Michelle King's Spectrum limited series THE BITE. He had regular roles on Shondaland's ABC series FOR THE PEOPLE and five seasons of ROYAL PAINS, recurred on CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, and was featured in the acclaimed HBO limited series THE NIGHT OF and ANGELS IN AMERICA (Emmy and Golden Globe noms.) Movie credits include THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, BLUE VALENTINE, THEN SHE FOUND ME and PI. On Broadway he appeared in Larry David's FISH IN THE DARK, SIGHT UNSEEN and PROOF (Tony nom.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Winnie Holzman’s so-called writing career began innocently enough, writing and performing sketch material with the comedy group “Serious Bizness.” Next came an MFA from NYU in musical theatre, as well as a musical: “Birds of Paradise,” which was produced Off-Broadway and directed by her teacher, Arthur Laurents.  She soon shifted gears, (and coasts) joining the writing staff of the ground-breaking television series “thirtysomething” and then creating theseries, “My So-Called Life,” which starred Claire Danes and which, thanks to MTV (and now HULU) has been seen all over the world.  She collaborated “once and again” with her mentors Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz on their critically acclaimed series “Once and Again;” and later collaborated with her daughter Savannah Dooley on their one hour drama series “Huge;” as well as with Cameron Crowe on the Showtime series “Roadies.”   She is the book writer of the international hit musical Wicked, which has a score by the acclaimed composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Wicked celebrated 20 years on Broadway this past fall.  She recently completed both screenplays for the film adaptation of Wicked. Her play Choice, an early version of which had its world premiere at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, in 2016, will be produced this spring at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey.  She is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America West, and the Dramatists Guild, and has been married to the wonderful character actor Paul Dooley for only 39 years. Paul Dooley is an actor, writer, and comedian, and has appeared in hundreds of movies, TV shows, and plays. His films include Breaking Away, Sixteen Candles, Runaway Bride, Popeye, Insom-nia, Waiting for Guffman, and the Cars franchise. His television appearances include roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm, My So-Called Life, Star Trek, Dream On (Emmy-nominated), and The Practice (Emmy-nominated). He lives in Burbank, California, with his wife Winnie Holzman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to a conversation hosted by Ilana Levine with the director, writer and stars of You Can Count on Me. Recorded live in NYC with guests Kenneth Lonergan, Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Rory Culkin and J. Smith-Cameron. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeremy Shamos was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in the Pulitzer Prize winning play CLYBOURNE PARK, for which he also received Lucille Lortel Award and Drama League Award nominations. His other stage appearances include the Broadway productions of Steve Martin’s METEOR SHOWER, Michael Frayn’s NOISES OFF, Richard Greenberg’s THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES, and David Mamet’s GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, as well as the off-Broadway productions of the original GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL, IF I FORGET (Drama Desk Award nomination), ANIMALS OUT OF PAPER (Drama Desk Award nomination), THE QUALMS, THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED), DINNER WITH FRIENDS (Lucille Lortel Award), and ENGAGED, for which he received the Obie Award. He appeared most recently on stage in Stephen Sondheim’s final musical HERE WE ARE. His work on film and television has provided the opportunity to collaborate on many acclaimed features, including MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, BAD EDUCATION, THE BIG SICK, and BIRDMAN, and many prestigious series including THE HANDMAID’S TALE, BETTER CALL SAUL, SUCCESSION, DEAD RINGERS, NURSE JACKIE, and FOSSE/VERDON. For his recurring roles as part of the ensembles of both THE GILDED AGE and ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, he earned SAG Award nominations for his work on both award winning series. An MFA graduate of New York University, he resides with his family in Brooklyn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bernard Telsey graduated from New York University in 1981 with a degree in Theater Administration and Acting. Soon after, he co-founded MCC Theater with Robert LuPone. Simultaneously, Telsey began working at Meg Simon and Fran Kumin’s office as an assistant for six years, and then as a casting director at Risa Bramon & Billy Hopkins Casting. He opened his own casting office in 1988. Since then, he, along with his staff of casting directors, associates, and assistants, have cast such Broadway shows as Rent, Wicked, Hamilton, Hairspray, In the Heights, The Color Purple. Recent productions include Days of Wine and Roses, Kimberly Akimbo, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Parade, Some Like it Hot, and the upcoming Cabaret, The Notebook, Lempicka, and The Mother Play including countless national tours, Off-Broadway productions, and regional theater productions across the country. Film credits include the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked, The Color Purple and Mean Girls: the Musical. Other films include Theater Camp, The Little Mermaid, Tik, Tik...Boom, Mary Poppins Returns, In the Heights, The Greatest Showman, Into the Woods, A Most Violent Year, Pieces of April, Margin Call, Sex and the City 1 & 2, Rachel Getting Married, Across the Universe. Telsey’s current television projects include “And Just Like That”, “Only Murders in the Building”, “The Gilded Age” “Tracker” and “Death And Other Details”. Previous credits include “Schmigadoon”, “Fosse/Verdon”, “This Is Us”, “We Crashed” “Jesus Christ Superstar Live”, “Smash” and “The Big C”. Telsey won an Emmy Award for casting the pilot of “Ugly Betty” and was nominated for “Only Murders in the Building”, “Fosse/Verdon,” “This Is Us,” “Grease! Live”, “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “The Big C.” He won an Independent Spirit Award for casting Margin Call and was the 2016 recipient of the Casting Society of America’s Hoyt Bowers Award for his contributions to the profession. His staff has cumulatively won over 20 Artios Awards for excellence in casting. Telsey served as the New York Vice President of the Casting Society of America and sat on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He remains one of the Artistic Directors of MCC Theater with William Cantler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gordon Greenberg has directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in London’s West End, written for television and stage, and developed, directed and produced new works for arts institutions across America. Current Directing/Writing projects include The Heart of Rock and Roll , which opens on Broadway at the James Earl Jones Theatre in April, 2024, following its record breaking run at The Old Globe, the hit Off-Broadway show Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors (Director & Co-Writer, with Steve Rosen, New World Stages & podcast starring John Stamos, Laura Benanti, & Annaleigh Ashford), a new musical about Picasso (directing & co-writing with Stephen Schwartz & Caridad Svich), the NBC television series Most Talkative (Co-Executive Producer/Writer, NBC, Blumhouse, Andy Cohen), Crime and Punishment, A Comedy (directing & co-writing with Steve Rosen) for the Old Globe, a London revival of The Baker’s Wife (Menier Choclate Factory, 2024), Single White Female (A.T.G.), The Wedding Banquet (Ang Lee, Hua Musicals, Taiwan), Ghost Tour, The Play, and the new comedy podcast series Rolling Calls starring Julie Halston & Richard Kind (co-writer, Steve Rosen). His acclaimed revival of Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf starring Calista Flockhart and Zachary Quinto at the Geffen Playhouse won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Revival. Variety called it “Inspired”, the L.A. Times called it “Unerringly good…Qunto & Flockhart expose something infinitely fragile in Edward Albee’s shatterproof play”, Entertainment Weekly called it “A riveting production…brilliantly staged by Gordon Greenberg”, and the Wall Street Journal called it “Intriguing…Here, unusually, there is the suggestion that the oncoming dawn may truly presage a fragile new beginning.”  Other directing work includes the revisal of Working (Drama Desk Award, adapted with Stephen Schwartz and Lin-Manuel Miranda), Jacques Brel…(Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Award noms), Terms of Endearment with Alfred Molina & Calista Flockhart (Geffen Playhouse for Greg Berlanti), the stage adaptation of Tangled (Disney), Johnny Baseball (Williamstown), Stars of David by Jeanine Tesori, Tom Kitt, Tony Kushner (Daryl Roth), Pirates! (created with Nell Benjamin, Huntington, Paper Mill, Goodspeed, MUNY), Band Geeks! (also co-writer, Goodspeed, NEA grant), The Baker’s Wife (Paper Mill, Goodspeed), 1776 (Paper Mill), Floyd Collins (Signature), the Klezmer-Rock reimagining of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Yentl (Asolo Rep), Blue Sky Boys by Deborah Breevort (Capital Rep.), the professional premiere of Edges The Musical (Capital Rep.), the acclaimed reimagining of Jesus Christ, Superstar starring Billy Porter (Helen Hayes, St. Louis MUNY), the U.S. national tour of Guys & Dolls, Disney’s Believe, the Disney Fantasy Christening (with Neil Patrick Harris & Jerry Seinfeld), West Side Story (MUNY, Circle Award nom), Happy Days, A New Musical (Paper Mill, Goodspeed, U.S. National Tour), Vanities, A New Musical (Theatreworks Palo Alto - San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Award), We The People (Lucille Lortel Theatre & Paper Mill Playhouse), Rags (Roundabout, workshop), and the all-female workshop of Man of La Mancha (Mirvish, Toronto), Other writing work includes, for television, Herbie Rebooted for Disney, Emerald City Music Hall, an original movie musical for Nickelodeon Television and Scramble Band, an original movie musical for the Disney Channel, The Single Girls Guide (co-writer Tommy Newman) for Dallas Theatre Center, Ars Nova, Capital Rep, the podcast Theatre Camp (with Jonathan Marc Sherman) for Sirius XM, Killing Time (with Steve Rosen), an At Home Play Commission from The Old Globe, and the new book of Meet Me In St. Louis for the St. Louis MUNY's 100th Anniversary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ANN HARADA originated the role of Christmas Eve in Avenue Q on Broadway and in the West End. Other Broadway: Cinderella, Into the Woods, 9 to 5, M Butterfly, Seussical, Les Miserables. Selected Off-Broadway: Dear World, Fairycakes, Emojiland, Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson, Pacific Overtures, Brooklynite and Love, Loss, and What I Wore. Regionally: Babbitt (LaJolla Playhouse), The Closet (Williamstown), Matilda, Beauty and the Beast, & Mamma Mia (MUNY). Recent film: Jerry and Marge Go Large and Disenchanted. Add’l film: Sisters, Admission, and Hope Springs. She is one of the stars of the musical series Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+) Add’l TV: Gotham, Blue Bloods (recurring), Younger, Jim Gaffigan Show, The Good Wife, 30 Rock, House of Cards, Master of None, and Smash. Insta/Threads: @iamannharada, X:@annharada  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Camryn Manheim is an actor, author, and activist. She is best known for her Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning role as the feisty defense attorney Ellenor Frutt on the legal drama series, The Practice. In her long career that spans over 40 years, she has appeared in over 60 television shows, 40 movies, and countless plays. Currently, you can see her on location in the streets of New York City playing Lieutenant Kate Dixon on Law & Order.   Her other notable credits include: Ghost Whisperer, Stumptown, The L Word, Ally McBeal, Criminal Minds, Person of Interest, Two and a Half Men, Will & Grace, Utopia, The Magicians, Waco, How I Met Your Mother, Cop Car, Elvis, An Unfinished Life, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion, Happiness, The Laramie Project, Dark Water, and The Road to Wellville. In 2015, Camryn made her Broadway debut in Deaf West’s Tony-nominated production of Spring Awakening. Manheim received her B.F.A from UC Santa Cruz and her M.F.A from New York University. In 1999 Manheim fulfilled a lifelong dream and became a New York Times best-selling author with her book, Wake Up, I'm Fat!  When she’s not filming, she teaches and lectures all over the United States and abroad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daisy Prince’s directing work includes the Original Off-Broadway production of The Last Five Years and the Original Off-Broadway production of Songs for a New World, both by Jason Robert Brown; It's Only Life: The Songs of John Bucchino at Rubicon Theatre (Los Angeles Ovation Award and Independent Award, Best Direction) also at Theatre Row for SPF and American Songbook at Lincoln Center; Jessica Molaskey's Pentimento with John Pizzarelli, Christine Ebersole, and Frank McCourt at The 92 Street Y. Daisy's concert staging includes Jason Robert Brown and Stephen Sondheim at Town Hall 50th SubCulture Residency Concert June 2019, NYSF Public Theater, PUBLIC SINGS!, Jazz at Lincoln Center's American Songbook Lance Horne: First Things Last, Lyrics and Lyricists at 92nd St. Y, The Genius of Autism, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, and Tom Kitt: An Evening at Stella Del Mare at Joe's Pub. As a performer, Daisy's credits include Merrily We Roll Along (Meg, Original Broadway Cast), Follies in Concert (Young Phyllis, Lincoln Center); Pal Joey (Linda English, Encores! City Center), Michael John LaChiusa's The Petrified Prince (Elise, NYSF Public Theater), and featured performer with The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Her recordings include all the above and Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino. In addition, she co-produced three plays with Bonnie Metzgar and Thalia Field as House Frau, inc. at BACA downtown. Daisy is a graduate of Brown University, has spent 20 years teaching as part of the New York City faculty of Syracuse University's The Tepper Semester, and is a proud member of the SDC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Max Burkholder stars as the lead of Seth MacFarlane’s critically acclaimed series TED, a prequel to the hit film franchise. He plays the leading role of “John Bennet” (the younger version of Mark Wahlberg’s character from the films), a good-hearted teenager who is still in his awkward teenage phase. With Ted’s help, John hilariously navigates adolescence, dealing with everything from first dates to high school bullies. Premiering on January 11, 2024, Ted launched as Peacock’s most-watched original title ever through its first three days on the platform. Burkholder is perhaps best known for his portrayal of “Max Braverman” in NBC’s long running award-winning series PARENTHOOD, from producers Jason Katims, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. Here Max raised awareness while portraying a young boy with Asperger’s syndrome. After the second episode aired, Asperger’s was one of the most frequently searched terms on Google. He also played the lead role in Paramount TV’s WHEN THE STREET LIGHTS GO ON for DGA, Oscar, IDA, and Emmy-nominated director Brett Morgen. His notable recurring roles include HBO’s IN TREATMENT and BROTHERS AND SISTERS. In film, Burkholder starred in Debra Eisenstadt’s hit Sundance comedy BLUSH opposite Wendy McLendon-Covey; and in the title role of BENJAMIN, alongside comedy veterans Rob Corddry, Kevin Pollak and Dave Foley.  Burkholder began his career at a very young age in films including DADDY DAY CARE directed by Steve Carr, FRIENDS WITH MONEY directed by Nicole Holofcener, and a starring role in the Michael Bay-produced hit feature THE PURGE opposite Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey.  In the world of voiceover, Burkholder has voiced characters on a number of hit series including Amazon Prime’s INVINCIBLE, FAMILY GUY, THE CLEVELAND SHOW, AMERICAN DAD and THE LAND BEFORE TIME. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christopher Fitzgerald is an actor and singer known for his role as Boq in the musical Wicked, Igor in the musical Young Frankenstein, and Ogie Anhorn in the musical Waitress - he also starred on Broadway in Spamalot, Company, Act Of God and Amour. He earned Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and Tony Award nominations for his performances in Waitress and Young Frankenstein and won the Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in Waitress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Cyril Creighton is currently seen as “Howard Morris" on Hulu’s "Only Murders in the Building” opposite Steve Martin, Martin Short & Selena Gomez. Other TV credits include the final season of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Dexter: New Blood,” “A League of Their Own,” "Dash & Lily," "High Maintenance," "Bob's Burgers,” "AJ & the Queen," "2 Broke Girls," "New Amsterdam," "Graves," "Blue Bloods," "Nurse Jackie," "Orange is the New Black," "30 Rock,” and more. Creighton played abuse survivor "Joe Crowley" in "Spotlight," the 2016 Academy Award Winner for Best Picture and won the Robert Altman Award at the Indie Spirit Awards as part of the film's ensemble. Other Film credits include Cord Jefferson's "American Fiction," Steven Spielberg's "The Post," "Game Night," "Paper Spiders," and "The Outside Story." On stage he has been seen in Sarah Ruhl’s Stage Kiss (Playwrights Horizons), Jordan Harrison’s The Amateurs (The Vineyard Theatre) and four World Premieres by The Debate Society (Cape Disappointment, You’re Welcome, Buddy Cop 2 and Blood Play.) He wrote, created and starred in the WGA Award winning web series "Jack in a Box”, which was inspired by working in a theatre box office for 12+ years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Annie Parisse can be seen in the recently released feature GIVING BIRTH TO A BUTTERFLY as well as a leading role in the forthcoming feature THREE BIRTHDAYS along with ERIC LARUE, marking the directorial debut for Academy Award Nominee Michael Shannon.  Parisse was seen on FX’s MRS AMERICA for FX and was a Series Lead on Netflix’s FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE created by Nick Stoller and Francesca Delbanco. Additional credits include the Hulu series, THE LOOMING TOWER opposite Jeff Daniels, THE FIRST opposite Sean Penn, as well as HBO’s original film PATERNO opposite Al Pacino. Annie also starred on the hit HBO Series, VINYL produced by Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger. Her work includes, series regular roles on THE FOLLOWING for FOX opposite Kevin Bacon, LAW & ORDER, RUBICON for AMC and her incredible arc in the HBO mini series, THE PACIFIC for Steven Spielberg. Other notable television work includes HOUSE OF CARDS, THE BIG C, PERSON OF INTEREST and UNFORGETTABLE.  Annie made her Broadway debut in the revival of Craig Lucas's PRELUDE TO A KISS directed by Daniel Sullivan and she starred in CLYBOURNE PARK, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Off Broadway she starred as the title role in the Pulitzer Prize nominated BECKY SHAW garnering a Lortel Nomination for her performance. Additional credits include: LONG LOST at MTC, THE LAYOVER at 2nd Stage, Playwrights Horizons's ANTLIA PNEUMATICA, Shakespeare in the Park's ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL and MEASURE FOR MEASURE, THE INTERNATIONALIST (Drama Desk Nomination), MONSTER, and THE CREDEAUX CANVAS at Playwrights Horizons.  Annie's feature work includes the independent feature WILD CANARIES (SXSW Grand Jury Nomination), AND SO IT GOES directed by Rob Reiner, PRICE CHECK, ONE FOR THE MONEY, MY OWN LOVE SONG with Rene Zellweger and Forest Whitaker, HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS opposite Kate Hudson and MONSTER-IN-LAW with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez.  Parisse hails from Anchorage, Alaska and resides in New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony Edwards is probably best known as Dr. Mark Greene on the series “ER.” Edwards has received four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Edwards has won three Screen Actor's Guild Awards (Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series in 1996 and Best Ensemble Cast in 1998 and 1999.) He won the Golden Globe Award in 1998. In the theater Edwards was seen on Broadway in Children of a Lesser God, Classic Stage Company’s Month in the Country, WPA Shem Bitterman’s Frozen, Williamstown Theater festival Harvey and Joyce Carol Oates’s Black. Edwards has starred in more than twenty features, including his memorable turn as "Goose" in the blockbuster feature Top Gun. Other feature film credits include; Consumed, Experimenter, Big Sur, Motherhood with Uma Thurman, Flipped directed by Rob Reiner, and Zodiac directed by David Fincher. Thunderbirds, Forgotten, Playing by Heart, The Client, Miracle Mile, Mr. North, Hawks, Pet Semetary II, Delta Heat, Landslide, The Sure Thing, Gotcha, Revenge of the Nerds, Heart Like a Wheel, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Edwards recently starred in both the Apple series “WeCrashed” and the Netflix mini-series “Inventing Anna”, created by Shonda Rhimes. Other television credits include ”Law and Order True Crimes: the Menendez Murders”, “Zero Hour”, “Girls”, “Blue Bloods”, “Billions”, “Northern Exposure” and “It Takes Two” as well as the telefilms “In Cold Blood”, “El Diablo”, “Hometown Boy Makes Good”, “Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson Story”, “High School USA” and “The Killing of Randy Webster”. Edwards made his feature directing debut with My Dead Boyfriend in 2016. He also directed several episodes of “ER”. Edwards was an Executive Producer of the HBO biopic “Temple Grandin”, which won multiple Emmys and Golden Globes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GABBY BEANS is a Tony Award nominated actress. Some of her recent TV credits include Apple's "Presumed Innocent", HBO’s “Succession,” CBS’ “Blue Bloods”, CBS’s “The Good Fight,” Netflix’s “House of Cards,” and Showtime’s “Ray Donovan.” Theater credits include Jonah at Roundabout Theater, The Skin of Our Teeth at Lincoln Center (Tony Award Nomination for Best Lead Actress), I’m Revolting at the Atlantic Theater Company, Anatomy of a Suicide at the Atlantic Theater Company, and Mary Seacole at LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HANNAH CRUZ stars in The Connector at MCC. Other theater credits include Only Gold (Camille, MCC)., Suffs (Ruza, The Public). Tour: Hamilton (IRNE Best Actress, Eliza), Bullets over Broadway (Ellen). Regional: The Da Vinci Code (American Premiere, Ogunquit Playhouse, Sophie Neveu) and Young Frankenstein (OP, Inga). Insta @thisishannahcruz.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jelani Remy Broadway: Back To The Future, Ain’t Too Proud, The Lion King.  Other theater credits include: High School Musical, Smokey Joe’s Café, AppleBoys, Oscar Michaeux Suite, Love Around the Block, Cabaret, Mozart: Her Story. Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star and Chita Rivera Award recipient. BCEFA NextGen Advocate.  @itsjelaniremy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coral Peña stars as Aleida Rosales in the critically acclaimed AppleTV+ series "For all Mankind." Coral entered the show for the show’s sophomore season and each year the storyline for her character has gained more significance and Coral’s performance is receiving great praise. Coral starred in the play "Our Dear Dead Drug Lord" at Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles and can be seen in the indie Thelma opposite Fred Hechinger which will be premiering at Sundance in 2024. She can also be seen in the indie Story Ave opposite Asante Blackk and Luis Guzmán which premiered out of SXSW and had its theatrical release late in 2022. Previously, she appeared alongside Meryl Streep, in Steven Spielberg's The Post and in the Amazon film Chemical Hearts, opposite Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

JOE MANTELLO (Director). Broadway directing credits include: Grey House, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Hillary and Clinton, Three Tall Women, The Boys in the Band, Blackbird, The Humans, Airline Highway, The Last Ship, Casa Valentina, I’ll Eat You Last, The Other Place, Other Desert Cities, Pal Joey, 9 to 5, Laugh Whore, November, The Ritz, Three Days of Rain, The Odd Couple, Glengarry Glen Ross, Wicked, Assassins (Tony Award), Take Me Out (Tony Award), Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Love! Valour! Compassion!  Off-Broadway: Here We Are, Dogfight, The Pride, A Man of No Importance, The Vagina Monologues, bash, Corpus Christi.  As an actor he has appeared in American Horror Story: NYC (FX), Hollywood, The Watcher (Netflix), The Normal Heart (HBO, Emmy Nom.) and upcoming FEUD Season 2: Capote vs. The Swans (FX) Broadway: The Glass Menagerie, The Normal Heart (Tony nom.), Angels in America (Tony nom.)  Recipient of Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Clarence Derwent, Obie, Joe A. Callaway and SDCF “Mr. Abbott" awards. Member of the Theatre Hall of Fame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sharon Brous is the founding and senior rabbi of IKAR, a trail-blazing Jewish community based in Los Angeles. A leading voice at the intersection of faith and justice in America, she has been named #1 Most Influential Rabbi in the U.S. by Newsweek/The Daily Beast. She blessed both President Obama and President Biden at their National Inaugural Prayer Services, and her TED Talk “Reclaiming Religion” has been viewed 1.5 million times. Brous’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post. She lives with her husband, David Light, and their children in California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Barbara Barrie has had a distinguished career in film, television and theatre. On Broadway, she has appeared in Company (Tony Award nomination), The Selling of the President, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, California Suite, Torch Song Trilogy, and, most recently, in the Broadway transfer of Significant Other, for which she received the Actors' Equity Association Award for the Best Performance in a Supporting Role by a Veteran Actor. Her notable off-Broadway credits include I Remember Mama (Outer Critics Circle Award nomination), The Vagina Monologues, Current Events, After-Play, The Crucible, The Beaux' Stratagem, Love Letters, Isn't It Romantic? and The Killdeer (Obie Award and Drama Desk Award). Her best known television series appearances include "Law & Order" (Emmy Award nomination), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (Emmy Award nomination), "Breaking Away" (Emmy Award nomination), "Suddenly Susan," "Enlightened," "Nurse Jackie," "Once and Again," "Barney Miller," "Thirtysomething" and "Family Ties." Her mini-series and television movie credits include "Scarlett," "Roots: The Next Generation," "A Chance of Snow," "My Left Breast," "The Odd Couple: Together Again," "Tell Me My Name," "To Race the Wind," "American Love Affair," and "Barefoot in the Park." Film credits include ""Somewhere Only We Know," One Potato, Two Potato" (Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival), "Breaking Away" (Academy Award nomination), "Judy Berlin" (Independent Spirit Award nomination), "Frame of Mind," "Second Best," "Hercules," "Private Benjamin," "The Bell Jar" and "Thirty Days." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zach Schonfeld is a freelance writer, journalist, and critic based in New York. He writes about culture for Pitchfork, Vulture, Spin Magazine, and many other publications. He was formerly a senior writer for Newsweek, where he was on staff for five years. His first book, Ghetto: Misfortune’s Wealth, was published in 2020 as part of the 33 1/3 series. How Coppola Became Cage is his second book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Schwab, is a screenwriter based in New York City. Since 2014, Mr. Schwab has been an adjunct professor of screen writing at the Graduate Film school at Columbia University. He has also taught at the French National Film School, La Femis, and also at Sundance Colabs. Mr. Schwab received his MFA in Film from the Columbia University School of the Art where his thesis script, MR. VERNER'S PYGMY, was purchased by Scott Rudin. Since then Mr. Schwab has written for, among others, Warner Brothers, Animal Logic, Hollywood Pictures, Propaganda, HD Net Films, and Paramount Pictures. Mr. Schwab was the 2014 Sundance/Sloan Commissioning Grantee for his script, FRANCIS TURNBULL – which was also selected for the 2013 Hampton Film Festival writer’s lab. FRANCIS TURNBULL is being produced by Oren Moverman (THE MESSENGER, LOVE AND MERCY, TIME OUT OF MIND) and Wren Arthur (PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION). Jennifer Fox (THE TALE, BEIRUT: THE LAST HOME MOVIE) will direct. Mr. Schwab recently completed KACZYNSKI, a TV pilot about the Unabomber for SightUnseen pictures. Oren Moveman will direct.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

JULIE BENKO is an actor, singer, and writer based in New York City. She recently marched her band out on Broadway as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, joining the annals of theatrical lore for her sensational understudy-to-star trajectory in the show. Between her tenure as the standby, alternate, and full-time Fanny, she played the role over 180 times and received numerous accolades for her interpretation, including Theatre World’s Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theatre She was also called the 2022 “Breakout Star for Theater” in The New York Times, named among “10 Broadway Stars to Watch for 2023” by Variety, honored as one of “40 Under 40” for Crain’s New York Business, hailed by CBS Mornings as “Broadway’s breakout star,” and profiled in numerous national media outlets such as The New York Times and Time. This fall, she is originating her first role on Broadway, playing Ruth in the long-gestating Barry Manilow/Bruce Sussman musical Harmony. Her recent album Hand in Hand (Club44 Records), a duo effort with her pianist-composer spouse Jason Yeager, won the BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award for “Best Commercial Album” and received a MAC Award nomination for “Best Major Album.” Her debut jazz album is Introducing Julie Benko. She has played leading roles in many Off-Broadway and regional productions and enjoys a vibrant concert career, having headlined sold-out shows at Birdland, 54 Below, and many other venues around the country. She won first prize and the Johnny Mercer Award in the national American Traditions Vocal Competition and holds a BFA in Drama and an MFA in Acting (yes, both) from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. As a writer, Julie has worked across mediums. In 2020, she wrote, directed, and starred in her first short, The Newlywed’s Guide to Physical Intimacy,which has won praise in numerous international festivals. Her first full-length play, The District, was named a semifinalist at the 2022 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. Her new holiday EP, Christmas with You, is available from Club44 Records. JulieBenko.com. Instagram/TikTok @JujujulieBee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike's second feature film, PASSING THROUGH, which he wrote and directed premiered in Torino Italy, later screening in festivals in Europe and more recently, here in NY at Soho International Film Festival, where it picked up nominations for Best Film, Best Actor, and the Audience Award. Mike's feature film debut, SELL BY, which he also wrote and directed, premiered in Toronto in 2019 at Inside Out, then traveled the festival circuit garnering awards including best feature, best screenplay and best director. It was acquired by Netflix under the title ALMOST LOVE, and stars Kate Walsh, Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Michelle Buteau, and Patricia Clarkson. Mike's first film, SHINER, a short starring Amy Ryan, premiered at Tribeca and launched his directing career. Mike most recently directed THE CHASE, a short film written by Nick Jandl. With Nick, Mike is executive producing and writing the series TODO POR AMOR with Stampede Entertainment and CBS Viacom. Mike became WGA when he was hired by Judd Apatow and Universal to pen the comedy, UNTITLED GAY MARRIAGE. Mike is a veteran actor, with years of experience in film and television, working with greats like Clint Eastwood (Jersey Boys), Karyn Kusama (The Invitation), Richard LaGravenese (You're Not You), Nancy Savoca (Union Square), & Martin Campbell (Green Lantern) to name a few. He was last seen on NBC's NEW AMSTERDAM and Showtime's CITY ON A HILL. Mike holds a BS in economics from Georgetown, and he trained as an actor at The Juilliard School. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DENIS O'HARE has been nominated 3 times for Emmy Awards for his work in THIS IS US and AMERICAN HORROR STORY. Other television appearances include THE NEVERS, TRYING, TRUE BLOOD, AMERICAN GODS, THE GOOD WIFE, and BIG LITTLE LIES. He won the Tony Award for Richard Greenberg's TAKE ME OUT (Obie Award, Drama Desk Award) and an OBIE for his performance in AN ILIAD of which he is also the co-writer. Other stage credits include ASSASSINS (Tony nomination), SWEET CHARITY (Drama Desk Award), CABARET, INHERIT THE WIND, MAJOR BARBARA, ELLING, RACING DEMON, HAUPTMANN, INTO THE WOODS, TEN UNKNOWNS, and TARTUFFE at London's National Theatre. Film credits include INFINITE STORM, SWALLOW, LATE NIGHT, THE GOLDFINCH, NOVITIATE, THE NORMAL HEART, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, THE PROPOSAL, DUPLICITY, MILK , CHANGELING, CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, MICHAEL CLAYTON, A MIGHTY HEART, HALF NELSON, GARDEN STATE, 21 GRAMS, THE ANNIVERSARY PARTY, PRIVATE LIFE, and THE PARTING GLASS of which he is the screenwriter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Theresa Rebeck is a prolific and widely produced playwright, whose work has been staged across the globe. Her work on Broadway includes Bernhardt/Hamlet, Dead Accounts, Seminar, Mauritius and the upcoming play I Need That (starring Danny DeVito, premiering Fall 2023). Other notable plays include the New York Times Critics Pick Dig (which she also directs), currently playing at Primary Stages/59E59 Theaters; Mad House, which played a critically acclaimed world premiere on London’s West End starring David Harbour and Bill Pullman; Seared (MCC), Downstairs (Primary Stages), The Scene, The Water’s Edge, Loose Knit, The Family of Mann and Spike Heels (Second Stage), Bad Dates, The Butterfly Collection and Our House (Playwrights Horizons), The Understudy (Roundabout), View of the Dome (NYTW), What We’re Up Against (Women’s Project), Omnium Gatherum (Pulitzer Prize finalist). As a director, her work has been seen at The Alley Theatre (Houston), the REP Company (Delaware), Dorset Theatre Festival, the Orchard Project and the Folger Theatre. Major film and television projects include Trouble, with Anjelica Huston, Bill Pullman and David Morse (writer and director), “NYPD Blue,” the NBC series “Smash” (creator), the female spy thriller 355 (for Jessica Chastain’s production company), and her most recent film Glimpse, available for streaming now. As a novelist, Rebeck’s books include Three Girls and Their Brother and I'm Glad About You. Rebeck is the recipient of the William Inge New Voices Playwriting Award, the PEN/Laura Pels Foundation Award, and a Lilly Award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

QUI NGUYEN is a playwright, screenwriter, and co-founder of the pioneering geek theatre company, Vampire Cowboys. His plays include Vietgone, Poor Yella Rednecks, Bike Wreck, and the critically acclaimed Vampire Cowboys shows Revenge Song, She Kills Monsters, Soul Samurai, The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G, Alice in Slasherland, Fight Girl Battle World, Men of Steel, and Living Dead in Denmark. For TV/film, he’s written for Marvel Studios, Netflix, AMC, SYFY, and PBS. He most recently wrote Disney’s Raya and The Last Dragon (nominated for a 2022 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature) and is currently co-directing and writing Disney’s. Strange World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mark Armstrong (he/him) is a Brooklyn-based theater director and the Artistic Director of The 24 Hour Plays. His production of Eric Bogosian’s Drinking in Americafeaturing Andre Royo (NYT Critic’s Pick) enjoyed an extended run at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre and a live audio capture was released as an Audible audio play. Highlights with The 24 Hour Plays include annual productions of The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway, The 24 Hour Musicals, The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues (which engaged millions of viewers worldwide beginning March 2020) + partner productions across the US. As a director, his collaborators include Emily Mann (Execution of Justice, Playhouse Creatures + NYU Tisch mainstage), Christopher Shinn (Falling Away, Ensemble Studio Theatre; The Coming World; Williamstown), Dan O’Brien (From Kandahar to Canada, EST; The Angel in the Trees, Production Company) and many others. As Director of New Work for Keen Company, he created the Keen Playwrights Lab for mid-career playwrights and directed Old Folks by Max Posner and 30 Million by Jason Kim and Max Vernon. Recently, he developed and directed The Accidentwith drummer Kid Millions at Roulette. Assistant professor (part-time), The New School for Drama; proud member SDC and UAW 7902; alum Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and Williamstown Theater Festival Directing Corp. Warren Leight is the Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony-winning author of Side Man, as well as No Foreigners Beyond This Point (Drama Desk nomination), Home Front, Fame Takes a Holiday, Glimmer, Glimmer and Shine (ATCA nomination) and The Loop. He also wrote the book of the musical Mayor (Drama Desk nomination) and co-wrote the book of Leap of Faith (Drama Desk nomination). Warren was showrunner and Executive Producer of the NBC drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” from 2011 – 2016 and 2019-2022 (Imagen, NAACP and PRISM Awards). Previously, he was showrunner and Executive Producer of HBO's Peabody Award-winning “In Treatment,” the FX drama “Lights Out,” and “Law and Order: Criminal Intent.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katie was born and raised in Houston, TX. Best known for her role as Glinda the Good in the Broadway production of Wicked, she was also Glinda in the first national touring company of Wicked. Her Broadway debut was as Clara Johnson in The Lincoln Center Theatre’s production of The Light in the Piazza directed by Bartlett Sher. Also, as Clara, she appeared in the first national touring production of The Light in the Piazza. Her Broadway credits also include Hannah Campbell in Allegiance and Ellen in Miss Saigon. She will be seen this fall as Beth in Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway following a run earlier this year at NYTW. On camera, she can be seen in roles on CBS’ The Good Wife and NCIS: New Orleans, as well as the independent film Maybe There’s A Tree. She also performed as Clara in the PBS national broadcast of Live from Lincoln Center: The Light in The Piazza.  In regional theatre she is recognized for her role as Cathy Hiatt in The Last Five Years at the Long Wharf Theatre. For this role she was awarded the Connecticut Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in 2014.  She was also seen in the East Coast debut of Craig Lucas’ play Prayer For My Enemy as Marianne Noone at the Long Wharf Theatre Company directed by Bartlett Sher. Clarke appeared in the staged concert of Parade as Mrs. Phagan conducted by Jason Robert Brown at Lincoln Center.     She lives in New York with her husband and family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Rubinstein originated the title role in the Broadway musical Pippin, directed by Bob Fosse, and won the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his performance in Children of a Lesser God. Other Broadway appearances include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ragtime, Hurlyburly, M. Butterfly, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Drama Desk nomination), Getting Away with Murder, Fools, Love Letters, and the 2013 Pippin revival. He appeared off-Broadway in Counsellor-at-Law (2005 Lucille Lortel Award, Outer Critics' Circle and Drama League nominations), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Urban Blight, Cabaret Verboten, and Morning's at Seven. Regionally: Wicked in LA, and the international tour of the Pippin revival. He starred in the TV series, “Family” (Emmy nomination), and “Crazy Like A Fox”, and over 300 episodes. Films include “Being the Ricardo’s”, “Hello, I Must Be Going”, “21 Grams”, “Red Dragon”, “The Boys from Brazil”, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, “Daniel, Zachariah,” and “Getting Straight”. He directed the world premiere of A. R. Gurney's The Old Boy, and Counsellor-at-Law, Company, Brigadoon, Macbeth, The Three Sisters, Phantasie, Nightingale, The Rivals, A Little Night Music, Guys and Dolls, Into The Woods, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and The Rover. He composes film and TV music (“Jeremiah Johnson”, “The Candidate”, “The Dollmaker”, "China Beach", among others), hosted two classical music radio programs, played keyboards in a rock band, and has recorded over 200 audiobooks, most numerously Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series of Los Angeles crime novels. He is married to Bonnie Burgess, and their son Max is the youngest of his five children, joining Jessica, Michael, Peter, and Jacob. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peter Friedman - has been in the original New York productions of works by Wendy Wasserstein, Simon Gray, C.P. Taylor, Charles Fuller, Annie Baker, Amy Herzog, Max Posner, Greg Pierce, Jennifer Haley, Deborah Zoe Laufer, The Debate Society, Rachel Bonds, Lauren Yee, Will Eno, Michael Mitnick, Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, Gunnar Madsen, Joy Gregory, John Lang, Susan Stroman, David Thompson, John Kander, Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty. He’s performed in NYC revivals of plays by Paddy Chayefsky, Reginald Rose, Donald Margulies, Chekhov, and Shakespeare. Film: The Savages, Safe, Single White Female. TV: “Brooklyn Bridge,” “High Maintenance,” “The Muppet Show,” “The Affair,” “The Path,” “Succession.” Sydney Lemmon - Off-Broadway debut. Broadway: Beau Willimon’s The Parisian Woman. Film: TÁR, Firestarter, Velvet Buzzsaw. Television: “Helstrom,” “Succession,” “Fear the Walking Dead” (Saturn Award Nomination). She can next be seen alongside Halle Berry in the forthcoming feature film The Mothership. Sydney is a graduate of Boston University, LAMDA and the Yale School of Drama. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Danielle Anne Trussoni is a New York Times,[1] USA Today,[2] and Sunday Times Top 10 bestselling novelist. She has been a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction jurist,[3] and wrote the "Dark Matters" column for the New York Times Book Review for five years, from 2018-2023. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, where she was a Maytag Fellow. Her novels have been translated into 33 languages. Her work includes six books: Falling Through the Earth (2006), Angelology (2010), Angelopolis (2012), The Fortress (2016), The Ancestor (2020), and The Puzzle Master (2023). The Puzzle Box is forthcoming in 2024. She is the recipient of the Michener-Copernicus Society of America award, the Dana Award in the novel, and The New York Times Top 10 Book of the Year[4] for her first book. In addition to being published in The New York Times Book Review, she has also been published in The Guardian, The New York Times Magazine, and Tin House. Her writings have been widely anthologized. A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help. His latest book is called The Puzzler. His first book is called The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World (Simon & Schuster, 2004). The memoir spent two months on the New York Times bestseller list. After trying to improve his mind, he turned to his spirit. The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible (2007) tells of his attempt to follow the hundreds of rules in the Good Book. It spent three months on the NYT bestseller list, and was praised by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, The New York Times Book Review, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and others. It appeared on the cover of the evangelical magazine Relevant, but was also featured in Penthouse. (Jacobs is proud to be a uniter, not a divider). In 2012, Jacobs completed his mind-spirit-body self-improvement trinity with Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection. It is the tale of his quest to be as healthy as humanly possible for which he revamped his diet, exercise regimen, sleep schedule, sex life, posture and more. He wrote the book on a treadmill desk (It took him about 1,200 miles). He also published a collection of essays called My Life as an Experiment: One Man’s Humble Quest to Improve Himself (2010). The book contains experiments featuring George Washington’s rules of life, marital harmony, marital disharmony, multitasking and nudity – not in that order. It includes the Esquire piece ‘My Outsourced Life,’ which also appeared in Tim Ferriss’s 4-Hour Workweek. Jacobs’s new book It’s All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree.” It’s about the extraordinary changes happening in family research and DNA, and how they have an impact on politics, race relations, health and happiness. The book has been praised by Kirkus (“delightful”), Booklist (“a real treat”) and Publisher’s Weekly (“entertaining and lively.”) In addition to his books, Jacobs written for The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, New York magazine and Dental Economics magazine, one of the top five magazines about the financial side of tooth care. He has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, The Dr. Oz Show, Conan and The Colbert Report. He has given several TED talks, including ones about living biblically, creating a one-world family, and living healthily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Heather Hach is an accomplished screenwriter, Broadway librettist, and novelist. Her work includes screenwriting for Freaky Friday and What to Expect When You're Expecting, and she was nominated for a Tony and Drama Desk Award for her work on Legally Blonde: The Musical. She was formerly an improv comedy cast member with ComedySports, an editor at Sports and Fitness Publishing, and a judge on MTV’s reality show “The Search for the Next Elle Woods.” Her upcoming book, The Trouble with Drowning [GreenLeaf Book Group] comes out October 17, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Randy Rainbow is a four-time EMMY® and GRAMMY®- nominated American comedian, producer, actor, singer, writer, satirist, host, and New York Times bestselling author, best known for his popular web series, The Randy Rainbow Show. His musical parodies and political spoofs have garnered him worldwide acclaim and four consecutive EMMY® nominations for Outstanding Short-Form Variety Series. His debut solo album, A Little Brains, A Little Talent (Broadway Records), earned him a 2023 GRAMMY® nomination for “Best Comedy Album”. Touring the U.S. with his sold-out solo musical comedy concerts, the influencer and Internet sensation's viral comedy videos have received hundreds of millions of views across all social media and digital platforms. His fresh take on politics and current events has led to interviews and profiles by The Washington Post (magazine cover story), CBS Sunday Morning, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, NPR, ABC News, OUT, People, and Entertainment Weekly. As the Washington Post noted, “Randy Rainbow has found his spotlight through the Internet, emerging as a viral sensation who dispenses musical comedy salve for a divided nation.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vineyard Folk by Tamara Weiss & Amanda Benchley The true soul of Martha’s Vineyard, captured through the eyes of the talented artists and artisans who live there.     Vineyard Folk leads us on an intimate journey into the lives and inspirational places of some of the many talented artists who have always made up the larger community of Martha’s Vineyard. The island, located just seven miles off the coast of Cape Cod, has a long history as geographic muse: Lillian Hellman and William Styron wrote overlooking the Vineyard Haven harbor, and Thomas Hart Benton—whose influence is still felt in island painters today—depicted the stone walls and winding roads of what is known as “up-island” more than a hundred years ago.  Now, a new generation continues to build on these creative legacies, inspired by the island’s ever-changing light, endless beaches, historic towns, and rolling fields. Vineyard Folk features painters, potters, poets, musicians, and actors, among many others, and the unique ways they work, live, and play.  Above all, Vineyard Folk is a love letter to a remarkable island community. With personal interviews and candid photography, it is a collage of creativity, resilience, and hope. We celebrate these artists captured at this golden moment of time that may not last forever. On this episode you will meet some of the artists featured in the book- Brooke Adams, Brad Silberling, Michael Johnson, Juli Vanderhoop, Elizabeth Ceceil and author Tamara Weiss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Laurie David is an award winning producer and activist. For over a decade she has been dedicated to raising awareness and making real change to environmental issues. She is the executive producer of the Academy Award winning documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth and other socially relevant docs including Fed Up. Biggest Little Farm, Mayor Pete and the Social Dilemma. She is also the author of -The Family Dinner - Great Ways To Connect With Your Kids One Meal At A Time, The Down To Earth Guide To Global Warming and Imagine It- A handbook for a happier planet. Kate Taylor recorded her first album, Sister Kate, in 1971. Her second album KATE TAYLOR was produced by her brother James Taylor in 1976.She has since released many records, raised a family and continues to write original songs and perform them all over the world.  Judy Belushi Pisano met her first husband John Belushi while still in high school. She was instrumental in his career while forging her own path in the entertainment industry. Judy worked with both the National Lampoon Magazine and the National Lampoon radio hour. She is an author and her books include - TheMom Book, Samurai Widow and Belushi . As a designer Judy created The Blues Brothers logo and record album covers and partnered with Dan Akroyd to create the House Of Blues music and restaurant franchise. She continues to develop movies and shows based on The Blues Brothers and over the years she has played music with some of the most well known rock stars on the planet. Joanne Ashe is the visionary founder of Journeys In Film - a nonprofit organization focused on leveraging the educational power of film to engage students with pressing global issues of critical concern. Journeys in Film develops curriculum and teaching materials centered on impactful films and has reached thousands of students with its classroom discussions that encourages students to think critically about the worlds most important challenges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jose Llana returns to Broadway in the highly anticipated production of David Byrne & Fat Boy Slim’s Here Lies Love, for which he earned a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for creating the role of “Marcos” at the Public Theatre. He most recently starred as The King Of Siam in Lincoln Center Theater’s Tony Award Winning revival of The King & I on Broadway, the US National Tour and the UK Tour. Previous Broadway credits include Chip Tolentino in William Finn’s The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee (Drama Desk Award, dir. James Lapine), El Gato in Wonderland, Wang Ta in David Henry Hwang’s adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, Angel in RENT (dir. Michael Greif), Jessie-Lee in Streetcorner Symphony and his debut as Lun Tha in the 1996 Revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King & I opposite Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Phillips. Off-Broadway appearances include Adam in Falling For Eve (York), Gabey in On the Town (dir. George C. Wolfe, Delacorte) and Adam Guettel’s Saturn Returns (dir. Tina Landau, Public Theater). Regional appearances include Bill Sikes in Oliver! (Papermill), Guillaume in Cameron Mackintosh’s Martin Guerre (Guthrie Theater), Tin Man in Ballad of Little Jo (Steppenwolf Theater, dir. Tina Landau, Jefferson Nomination - Best Supporting Actor) and Candide in Candide (Prince Theater, Barrymore Nomination - Best Actor). TV/Film appearances include HBO’s Sex and the City opposite Margaret Cho and Hitch with Will Smith. Appearing on numerous cast albums Jose is also a best-selling recording artist on the VIVA Philippines label. He has made two appearances with American Songbook in 2019 and 2015 which led to the release of his second solo CD, Altitude in the spring of 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Rudnick is a novelist, playwright, essayist and screenwriter, whom the New York Times has called, “one of our pre-eminent humorists.” His plays have been produced both on and off Broadway and around the world, and include I HATE HAMLET, JEFFREY, THE MOST FABULOUS STORY EVER TOLD, VALHALLA, REGRETS ONLY, and THE NEW CENTURY. He has won an Obie Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and the John Gassner Playwrighting Award, and two of his short plays have been included in STANDING ON CEREMONY: THE GAY MARRIAGE PLAYS. His novels include SOCIAL DISEASE and I’LL TAKE IT, both from Knopf and PLAYING THE PALACE from Berkley. He’s a regular contributor to The New Yorker and his articles and essays have also appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Vogue and Vanity Fair. HarperCollins has published both Mr. Rudnick’s Collected Plays and a group of essays entitled I SHUDDER. His essays have also been included in the New Yorker anthologies FIERCE PAJAMAS and DISQUIET, PLEASE.Mr. Rudnick is rumored to be quite close to Premiere magazine’s film critic Libby Gelman-Waxner, whose collected columns were published by St. Martins under the title IF YOU ASK ME. Ms. Gelman-Waxner has also reviewed in the pages of Entertainment Weekly, and the column now appears every few weeks on The New Yorker website.Mr. Rudnick’s screenplays include IN & OUT, SISTER ACT, the screen adaptation of JEFFREY, and ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. His Young Adult novels, entitled GORGEOUS and IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT, have been published by Scholastic.Mr. Rudnick has appeared on the Today show, Real Time with Bill Maher, Conan O’Brien, A Prairie Home Companion, and Fresh Air, among other programs. Mr. Rudnick’s new play, Guilty Pleasure, will be directed by Christopher Ashley and produced at the LaJolla Playhouse. On September 12, 2020, HBO began airing Coastal Elites, written by Mr. Rudnick, directed by Jay Roach, and starring Bette Midler, Dan Levy, Issa Rae, Sarah Paulson and Kaitlyn Dever. He’s currently writing a screenplay called EX-HUSBANDS, based on an original idea by Billy Eichner, for Amazon. His new novel, FARRELL COVINGTON AND THE LIMITS OF STYLE, will be publshed in June of 2023 by Simon&Schuster From his humble beginnings growing up on his grandfather's dairy farm in New York, JOEL THURM became one of the most admired, powerful, and accomplished casting directors in Hollywood, Early on, Thurm's instincts proved beyond reproach when he recognized John Travolta as much more than a teen idol, casting him in the TV movie THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE. It was during his years as Vice President of Talent and Casting for both Paramount Television and NBC that he discovered the remarkable Phoenix family, from which River and Joaquin became A-list movie stars. With his insider's knowledge, irreverent style, and biting wit, Thurm tells the stories of his key involvement in such iconic movies and shows as GREASE, AIRPLANE!, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, CHEERS, TAXI, THE LOVE BOAT, FANTASY ISLAND, STARSKY & HUTCH, CHARLIE'S ANGELS, THE GOLDEN GIRLS, KNIGHT RIDER, THE COSBY SHOW, HILL STREET BLUES and many, many more. SEX, DRUGS, AND PILOT SEASON is the ultimate backstage pass to the boardrooms of Manhattan and the executive suites of Hollywood where show-business history was made. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Liana Hunt is a New York City based actor, singer and dancer who has appeared on Broadway, National Tours, regionally, on television and in films.  Originally from Vermont, Liana received her BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and graduated with honors a semester early to star as Sophie on the National Tour of Mamma Mia!. After touring the country with the show, Liana was brought to Broadway, making her Broadway debut as Sophie in Mamma Mia! at the age of 23. Liana also starred on Broadway as Katherine Plumber in Disney’s Newsies. She has returned to Broadway this summer in Back to the Future Musical that is adapted for the stage by the movie’s creators Bob Gale (Back to the Future trilogy) and Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) and is directed by the Tony Award-winning John Rando. She stars in the production as ‘Lorraine McFly’. Liana has performed on stages all across the country. Some of her favorite National Tour credits include the role of Nessarose in Wicked and Margo in Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Bright Star. Favorite regional credits include creating the role of Jessie Randolph in Clint Black’s new musical, Looking for Christmas, at The Old Globe, the St. Louis MUNY’s centennial production of Meet Me in St. Louis (Rose), and Noel Coward’s Private Lives at the Riverside Theatre (Sybil).  Liana has studied Improv with UCB and is a part of the sketch comedy show SHIZ: Broadway Meets Sketch Comedy, which has had runs at UCB in Hell’s Kitchen and Improv Asylum, produced by National Lampoon.  Liana also teaches musical theatre masterclasses to kids of all ages and coaches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Max Chernin Broadway: Parade, Bright Star, Sunday In The Park with George. NYC: Brooklynite (Vineyard), Golden Apple (Encores!) Regional: Passing Through (Goodspeed), Daddy Long Legs (Theatre Raleigh), Elf (Pioneer). Television: “Dickinson,” “Blacklist.” CCM Alum. @maxcherns. Alfred Uhry (Book) is distinguished as the only American playwrights to have won a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, and two Tony Awards. A 1958 graduate of Brown University, he began his professional career as a lyric writer under contract to the late Frank Loesser. He made his Broadway debut in 1968 with Here’s Where I Belong, which ran for one night. He had better luck with The Robber Bridegroom in 1976, which won him his first Tony nomination. He followed that with five recreated musicals at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut. His first play was Driving Miss Daisy, which began life at the 74-seat upstairs theatre at Playwrights Horizons in 1987 and went on to run for three years and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. The film version, starring Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy, won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1989 and gained Uhry his own Oscar for Best Screenplay. His next two Broadway outings won him Tony Awards: The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Best Play of 1997) and Parade (Best Book of a Musical 1999). In 2014, he was inducted into both the Theatre Hall of Fame and the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mahira Kakkar: Off-Broadway: 7 Minutes, Waterwell; Here We Are, Theater for One; Addressless, Rattlestick; Opus, Primary Stages; Harper Regan, Atlantic; Romeo and Juliet, Public Theater; The Winter’s Tale, TFANA; When January Feels Like Summer, EST; Henry VI, NAATCO; Arturo Ui, Classic Stage Company; Ms. Witherspoon, Playwrights Horizons; Clive, The New Group. Regional: Life of Pi, A.R.T.; Skylight, McCarter Theatre; Rafta Rafta, Old Globe; Our Town, OSF; Monsoon Wedding, Berkeley Rep; Bedroom Farce, Huntington Theater Company; Inana, Denver Center; The Crucible, Cleveland Playhouse; Five Mile Lake, McCarter Theatre; Comedy of Errors, Hartford Stage, Jesus in India, Magic Theater. Film/TV: “A Suitable Boy” (series lead), “Manifest” (recurring), “New Amsterdam,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Blacklist,” “Louie,” “Odd Mom Out,” “Sweet Refuge,” “Bite Me,” Hank and Asha (Napa Valley Film Festival Best Actress, Wild Rose Festival Best Actress, Slamdance Audience winner, Bronze Lens winner), “Law & Order,” “Orange Is the New Black.” Training: Juilliard, SITI, Harold Guskin; B.A. Jadavpur University. mahirakakkar.com Salma Qarnain is a versatile Pakistani American actor, thrilled to be making her Broadway debut in the adaptation of one of her favorite books. She is a two-time Helen Hayes Award recipient, an AUDELCO nominee, and an award-winning theater and film producer. She has performed across major networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO, HBO Max, Hulu, Showtime), regionally, Off-Broadway, and Off-West End. Most recently, she produced the 2023 Oscar-qualified short film, Silent Partner (19 festivals / 4 Oscar qualifiers; 8 awards / nominations) and Speak Up Brotha!, which is premiering at the Oscar-qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival. Selected credits: Bars and Measures (Off-Broadway); Acquittal (Off-Broadway); Rain + Zoe Save the World (Off-West End); “That Damn Michael Che” (RECUR, HBO Max); “FBI” (CBS); “The Blacklist” (NBC); “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC); “For Life” (ABC). Graduate of Stanford, MIT, Harvard Business School. Proud member of SAG•AFTRA, AEA, Equity. Thank you to Roderick, Gary, Lolita, Max, Finn, Duncan, Benton, Patrick, A.R.T, and Annette for getting me here. Love you, X! For my sisters Ayesha, Sonia, and Zehra and my parents Qarnain and Rashida in the stars. IG: @salma.qarnain; salmaqarnain.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Micaela Diamond starred as Lucille Frank in the Tony Award winning revival of Parade in 2023. She made her Broadway debut as ‘Babe’ – the youngest Cher – in The Cher Show. She recently appeared in both The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical and Leanord Bernstein’s opera Mass at the Kennedy Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Row, and Ethan Coen’s A Play Is A Poem in Los Angeles. Television and film: NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar Live,” Peggy in Tick, Tick… Boom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ANDREW BURNAP - won the 2021 Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play for his performance in Matthew Lopez’s The Inheritance, directed by Stephen Daldry, after a successful run at the Young Vic in London and a transfer to the West End. Additional theater credits include the titular role in the West Coast premiere of Matthew Lopez’s The Legend of Georgia McBride (Geffen Playhouse, director Mike Donahue), Nicky Silver’s This Day Forward (Vineyard Theatre, director Mark Brokaw) and Troilus in Troilus and Cressida (The Public, director Daniel Sullivan). TV and Film credits include the upcoming The Front Room (A24) and Disney’s live-action Snow White; as well as “Under the Banner of Heaven” (Hulu); “WeCrashed” (AppleTV+); The Chaperone (director Michael Engler); and Spare Room. Andrew graduated from the Yale School of Drama. DAKIN MATTHEWS - LCT: Henry IV (Drama Desk Award). Broadway: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Iceman Cometh, Waitress, The Audience, Rocky, The Best Man, A Man for All Seasons. New York: Shakespeare in the Park, The Bridge Project at BAM, Playwrights Horizons, City Center Encores!, The Acting Company. Over 200 regional productions. Recent film credits include True Grit, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies and Zero Charisma. Over 250 television credits including “The King of Queens,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Gilmore Girls.” Former Artistic Director of three professional companies, an award-winning playwright and translator, an Emeritus Professor of English and a Shakespeare scholar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katey Sagal has entertained audiences in a variety of dramatic and comedic roles throughout her notable career. Her television credits include “Sons of Anarchy” (Golden Globe Award), “Superior Donuts,” “8 Simple Rules,” and “Married…With Children.” She has also appeared in feature films including “Bleed for This,” “Pitch Perfect 2” and “The Good Mother.” An accomplished singer, Katey has released the CDs “Well” and “Room” and performs with her band The Reluctant Apostles. Her first book, “Grace Notes: My Recollections,” was published in 2017 by Simon and Schuster. Katey can currently be seen on “The Conners” on ABC and starred in the title role of the ABC series “Rebel.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gavin Creel received a Tony Award® for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in HELLO, DOLLY! starring Bette Midler. After making his Broadway debut originating the role of Jimmy Smith in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, for which he received his first Tony Award® nomination, Creel went on to star in the Broadway productions of HAIR (Tony Award® nomination), LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, SHE LOVES ME, THE BOOK OF MORMON, and WAITRESS. Creel was among the star-studded cast of New York City Center Encores! critically acclaimed production of INTO THE WOODS starring as Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince. The celebrated production transferred to Broadway where Creel reprised his role as Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince opposite Sara Bareilles, Brian d’Arcy James, Joshua Henry, Julia Lester and Patina Miller.  Gavin received an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Elder Price in the London Production of THE BOOK OF MORMON and also appeared on the West End in MARY POPPINS, HAIR, and WAITRESS. This fall, Gavin brings WALK ON THROUGH: Confessions of a Museum Novice to Off-Broadway’s MCC Theater for a limited run. In his theatrical songwriting debut, Gavin takes us on an intimate, relatable journey of discovery and transformation through the lens of the art at The Met Museum that captured his imagination. On television, Creel recently performed a solo PBS concert special with “Stars on Stage",” starred as Troy in Ryan Murphy’s anthology series “American Horror Stories” and played Bill alongside Julie Andrews in “Eloise at the Plaza” and “Eloise at Christmasttime.” As a songwriter, Creel is currently writing an original musical piece entitled WALK ON THROUGH, based on the collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The musical has been selected for the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center’s 2022 National Musical Theatre Conference and the concert meets musical was highlighted in The Day. He has released three original albums: GoodTimeNation, Quiet (which landed on Billboard’s “Top Heat Seekers”), Get Out, and his single “Noise” raised money and awareness for marriage equality. Creel was a co-founder of Broadway Impact, the first and only grassroots organization to mobilize the nationwide theater community in support of marriage equality. A native of Findlay, Ohio, Gavin is a proud graduate of University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance and a 2022 Fellow at the Hermitage Artist Retreat.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ALFRED UHRY is a graduate of Brown University. He is the only American playwright to have won a Pulitzer Prize (Driving Miss Daisy), an Academy Award (Driving Miss Daisy) and two Tony Awards (The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Parade). In 2014 he was inducted into both the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame and the Theater Hall of Fame. He is the proud father of four daughters and the proud grandfather of six granddaughters and two grandsons. He lives in New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Javier Muñoz is an actor and activist whose impressive body of work spans theater, film and television. He is best known for starring and co-creating the role of "Alexander Hamilton'' in the hit musical HAMILTON on Broadway for two years after Lin-Manuel Miranda departed the show (and was his alternate prior to that). He got his break starring as “Usnavi” in IN THE HEIGHTS on Broadway, also created by Miranda. Javier starred in the dark comedy indie feature, MONUMENTS, opposite David Sullivan & Marguerite Moreau, the indie feature LOVE RECONSIDERED and stars in THREE MONTHS, opposite Troy Sivan and Judy Greer, on Paramount+. He voices a lead character in the Disney Jr. animated series, Eureka! Other TV credits include recurring role on Shadowhunters, Blindspot and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. Javier is also an outspoken activist for LGBTQ+ rights, a Global Ambassador for (RED), which fights to end HIV/AIDS, and supporter of GMHC. Jessie Mueller is a Tony and Grammy Award-winning actress and singer. She was last seen on Broadway in Tracy Lett’s The Minutes. Other recent credits include the Kennedy Center’s Guys & Dolls, The Music Man, Julie Jordan in the Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel (Tony & Grammy nominations, Drama Desk Award), originating the roles of both Jenna in Waitress (Tony, DD & Grammy noms) and Carole King in Beautiful-The Carole King Musical (Tony, Grammy & DD Awards.) Concert appearances include Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Lyric Opera, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Film and Television: Steven Spielberg’s The Post, Madam Secretary, Blue Bloods, Hulu’s Candy, and Lifetime’s Patsy & Loretta. She can be heard as part of the kooky cast of Netflix’ Centaurworld and Wondery’s Melon’s House Party. New studio recordings include My Heart Says Go and Diary of A Wimpy Kid, The Musical. She is an Arts Education champion for groups such as Rosie’s Theatre Kids (rosiestheaterkids.org) and a long-time supporter of The Entertainment Community Fund (entertainmentcommunity.org) & Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids (broadwaycares.org). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Brightman is a two-time Tony-nominated actor for his performances in Beetlejuice the Musical and School of Rock. Other Broadway credits include Matilda, Big Fish, & Glory Days. Most recently, Alex was seen on stage in Lewberger's The Wizard of Friendship as Ketih's Dad. You can also hear him on the upcoming cast recording of The Wizard of Friendship as Flim Flam the Sausage Man. Alex can be seen on the current (and final) season of The Blacklist on NBC as forensic analyst Herbie Hambright. Other TV credits include Law & Order: SVU, Documentary Now!, The Good Fight, Blue Bloods, and Important Things w/ Demetri Martin. Alex is the voice of Pugsley/Temeluchus on the acclaimed Netflix animated series Dead End: Paranormal Park. Other cartoon credits include Helluva Boss, Teen Titans Go!, and the upcoming Scooby Doo and the Haunted High Rise. As a writer, Alex has developed series with NBC, Universal Studios, 20th Century, and Warner Brothers. He is currently developing Cleaners, an animated musical comedy, with his writing partner (and Spamalot cast mate) Nik Walker, and Singular, a New York romantic comedy, with 20th Century Studios. Alex’s play, Everything Is Fine, recently received a developmental reading/workshop at Manhattan Theatre Club (directed by Cynthia Nixon), and is expected to have its world premiere in 2024. Alex lives in New York City and has a dog named Kevin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the fall and winter of 2021/2022 Laura Cahill taught screenwriting to 8 young acting students from Kyiv on Zoom in English. Their last class was February 6th, 2022. The war started 18 days later. Most of the students fled their homes. Laura reunited with her students and started teaching them playwriting. On May 1st, she started teaching a second playwriting class that had been advertised on a a Telegram channel for art programs for Ukrainian Youth. It was supposed to last four weeks. Most of those students were still in Ukraine, but some had fled. The May class went so well, they decided to keep going, so on June 1st, the two classes came together and formed Young Playwrights Ukraine. On July 24th, six months after the war started, they had a reading of 18 short works with professional actors on Zoom for an audience. The cast included noted actors David Morse, Cara Buono, Ann Dowd, Kevin Corrigan, Misha Brooks, Bridgette Lundy-Paine, Ivanna Sakhno, Stefanie Lavie Owens, Oona Laurence and others. The plays were subsequently produced by Orion Theater in Stockholm Sweden, directed by Lars Rudolfsson, who had been in the audience on July 24th. The plays opened on March 20th, 2023, to outstanding reviews and ran for 30 performances. Laura and ten of the playwrights met in person for the first time in Sweden for the opening night. The collection is soon to be published by Smith&Kraus Young Playwrights Ukraine continues to meet every Saturday and Sunday to write. They’re currently working with professional mentors including Theresa Rebeck, Peter Hedges, Jacquelyn Reingold, Kate Robin, Alexis Scheer, as well as Will Arbery, Stephen Belber, Erin Cressida Wilson, Keith Bunin, Jessica Goldberg and Suzanne Heathecoate on a collection of ten minute plays that tell their stories of living with war. Aside from the mentors, they have special talks with professional artists like filmmaker Mary Harron, TV creator Michelle King, Juilliard professor Kathleen McNenny, casting director Rob Decina, Playwright/TV writer Aurin Squire and others. Writers and directors offering help with this project include Warren Leight, Matthew Carnahan, Mark Brokaw, Paul McCrane, Whitney White, Lila Neubauer and more. The Young Playwrights Ukraine Festival of Ten Minute Plays is set for August 20th on Zoom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Steven Soderbergh (Producer) is a writer, director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. He most recently directed this year’s Magic Mike’s Last Dance, as well as the forthcoming HBO Max limited series “Full Circle.” He earned the Academy Award in 2000 for directing Traffic, the same year he was nominated for Erin Brockovich; and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for his 2013 HBO film “Behind the Candelabra.” Soderbergh earlier received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for sex, lies, and videotape, his feature film directorial debut. That film also won the Palme d’Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. Soderbergh has also worked as a theatrical director, creating and directing the play Tot Mom at the Sydney Theatre Company in December 2009; as well as directing the world premiere of Scott Z. Burns’ play The Library at New York’s Public Theater in April 2014. Emma Sheanshang (Playwright) is a playwright and screenwriter from New York City. Her first play, Every Girl Gets Her Man, was performed at the Soho Playhouse.Greetings from Tim Buckley, a film she co-wrote with director Dan Algrant, starring Penn Badgley and Imogen Poots, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.  Dan Algrant (Director) is a film director and writer. His films include Greetings from Tim Buckley (Focus World/Tribeca), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, Naked in New York (Fine Line Features) and People I Know starring Al Pacino (Miramax Films). Dan has also directed HBO’s Emmy winning “Sex and the City” and award-winning short films including Some Film Chopping Wood. He directed the documentary Anything for Jazz about piano legend Jaki Byard, executive produced How to Grow a Band about prodigy mandolinist Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers and acted in Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience and Let Them All Talk with Meryl Streep, Candace Bergen and Lucas Hedges. Current directing projects include the film Little Rootie Tootie, executive produced by Whoopi Goldberg; and Cathedrals, a documentary spanning nearly fifty years of the lives of two young men living in the Cathedral Housing projects in Boston, MA.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Miriam Silverman’s Broadway credits include The Sign In Sidney Brustein’s Window and Junk. Other theater credits include - A Delicate Ship at The Playwrights Realm, Everything You Touch at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, You Got Older at Page 73, The Hour of All Things and Finks at Ensemble Studio Theatre (Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actress), Septimus and Clarissa at Ripe Time, The Witch of Edmonton at Red Bull Theater, Hamlet at The Public Theater/NYSF and Bone Portraits at Walkerspace at Soho Repertory Theatre. Regional credits include The Moors at Yale Repertory Theatre; The Dog in The Manger (Helen Hayes Award nomination), Measure for Measure, All’s Well That Ends Well, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, As You Like It and the world premiere of David Ives’s The Liar at Shakespeare Theatre Company, where she is an affiliated artist; Extremities and Moonchildren at the Berkshire Theatre Festival; Peer Gynt at the Guthrie Theater; Awake and Sing! at Arena Stage, As You Like it at the Folger Theatre and numerous productions with Trinity Repertory Theatre. Film and Television credits include Breaking, Bad Education, Fleishman Is In Trouble, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisle, Dead Ringers, Elementary, Pan Am, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Better Days Ahead.  She received her BA and MFA from Brown University and is a recipient of the 2011 TCG Fox Foundation Fellowship.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The talented Julian Lerner is quickly becoming a star to watch on not only on the stage, but the big screen. Lerner will next be seen starring as ‘The Artful Dodger’ in New York City Center’s production of Lionel Bart’s “Oliver!” The show also stars Lilli Cooper, Raúl Esparza, Tam Mutu, Benjamin Pajak, and Mary Testa.Lerner can currently be seen in ABC’s hit reboot “The Wonder Years.” Lerner plays ‘Brad Hitman,’ lead character Dean’s (Elisha Williams) best friend, a smart, good-natured kid with a sense of humor. He’s described by Adult Dean as “the Pee Wee Reese to my Jackie Robinson. That is, if Pee Wee Reese were Jewish and Jackie Robinson couldn’t catch a fly ball.” Set in the same era as the original, the series is a family comedy-drama that looks at how the Williamses, a Black middle-class family in Montgomery, AL, in the turbulent late 1960s made sure it was the Wonder Years for them too. The second season is set to premiere on June 14, 2023. In 2022, Lerner completed production on “Boys of Summer,” a fantasy-adventure film directed by David Henrie. The film, which is set in the summer of 1997, follows a trio of best friends (Lerner, Mason Thames, and Abby James Witherspoon) who team up with a retired detective (Mel Gibson) to confront a supernatural entity that has recently moved to Martha’s Vineyard.  Early in 2021, Lerner starred in Netflix’s hit film “Yes Day” opposite Jennifer Garner, Edgar Ramirez, and Jenna Ortega. Based on the novel of the same name, “Yes Day” follows Allison (Garner) and Carlos (Ramirez) who decide to give their kids a "yes day", where for 24 hours, the children make the rules. Lerner plays their son ‘Nando,’ a fun, energetic kid who is slightly nerdy and has a love of science. The film was the streaming giant’s second-biggest Kids & Family release – it was watched in nearly 53 million homes.  For the past three years, Lerner has played ‘Lucas’ in the animated series “Alma’s Way” for PBS. Written by Sonia Manzano, Maria from “Sesame Street,” the show is inspired by her childhood growing up in the Bronx. ‘Lucas’ is one of ‘Alma’s’ best friends and is an aspiring pop singer. Lerner can also currently be heard playing the 12-year-old version of Brian Cox in “From Now,” a podcast series available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The podcast also stars Richard Madden, Erin Moriarty, David Dastmalchian, and more.  On the silver screen, Lerner has been seen in Netflix’s “Pottersville” where he starred opposite Michael, Shannon, Judy Greer, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, and more. He was also featured in Netflix’s animated adaptation of the best-selling video game “Dragon Quest.”  On the stage, he starred in the out-of-town trial for a new Broadway show in Fall 2019 called “Last Days of Summer” as well as touring the country in the National Broadway Tour of Les Misérables.  Lerner currently resides in New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Julia Mayorga was born in Los Angeles, Ca. She attended the Terry Knickerbocker studio in New York to study acting. During her first year attending the Knickerbocker conservatory she booked a series regular role on the show AMERICAN RUST. She is currently shooting season 2 of the show. Mayorga can also be seen in RARE OBJECTS starring opposite Katie Holmes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NaTasha Yvette Williams Broadway: Tina, The Tina Turner Musical (Zelma), Chicken and Biscuits (Brianna), Waitress (Becky), Chicago (Mama Morton) A Night With Janis Joplin (Aretha, Joplinaire) The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (Mariah) The Color Purple (Sofia). Selected TV/Film Credits: “Partner Track” (Nella), “Run the World (Aunt Grace), “Harlem (Rebecca), “FBI ( Mrs. Adamu) “New Amsterdam” (Esther) ,“The Good Fight." Some movies: The Historical Thriller ALICE (Ruth) on Prime video and Disney’s BETTER Nate than Never (Principal), Follow insta @Natashayvettewillliams. Proud Black Theatre United and Actor’s Equity Member. Kevin Del Aguila has been part of the original Broadway companies of Frozen (as Oaken), Peter and the Starcatcher (as Smee), and Rocky (as everybody in Philadelphia). He’s performed in a myriad of off-Broadway shows including Peter and the Starcatcher (NYTW/New World Stages), Love’s Labour’s Lost (The Public/Shakespeare in the Park), Jacques Brel (NYC revival), God Bless You Mr. Rosewater (Encores), and A Christmas Carol (TheaterworksUSA). His television guest appearances include “Peg + Cat,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Deadbeat,” and children everywhere have heard his voice as a Troll in the Disney blockbuster movie “Frozen.” In his spare time, Kevin is a multi-Emmy-winning TV writer, lyricist for stage & screen (Lortel, Drama Desk, and Emmy noms), and book-writer of the hit comedy Altar Boyz (Outer Critics Circle Award), which made history as one of the longest running off-Broadway musicals ever. Kevin’s other stage adaptations include musical versions of the Dreamworks movie Madagascar and the smash book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. www.kevindelaguila.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Broadway: Shucked, The Who’s Tommy, The Lion King, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Rocky Horror Show, The Wedding Singer. Off Bway: Hedwig and the Angry Inch ( also Boston, San Francisco, Edinburgh Fest ), The Foreigner (Lortel nomination), The Wild Party (MTC), How I Learned To Drive (Second Stage), The Shaggs ( Playwrights Horizons ). TV/ Film: Monarch, Glow, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Nurse Jackie, Modern Family, Good Wife, Six Degrees, NCIS, CSI, Elementary, Franklin and Bash, Odd Mom Out, The Mentalist, Mars Needs Moms, So Cold The River, I Am Michael, Curse Of The Jade Scorpion, One Night, among others. NYU Tisch. @kevincahoon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Deirdre Connolly is the Executive Producer of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. In 2009, she helped to launch late-night’s first live, interactive talk show alongside host Andy Cohen. Under Deirdre’s leadership, WWHL has become a late night and pop culture phenomenon, hosting guests such as Hillary Clinton, Oprah, Lady GaGa, Mindy Kaling, Jimmy Fallon, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lawrence. The show has produced over 2400 episodes and was recently renewed through 2023. Deirdre also works in development at Embassy Row producing pilots and series including Bravo’s groundbreaking Fashion Queens.  Prior to her role at Watch What Happens Live and Embassy Row, Deirdre was a producer at MTV’s Total Request Live, which led her to temporarily relocate to London to launch TRL for MTV UK. As a prominent female leader in late-night, Deirdre has been featured in LA Times, The Washington Post, Boston College Magazine, Glamour and as a panelist for both Variety and NYWIFT. Deirdre’s success is a direct reflection of her passion and commitment to those around her and a love of making great television.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ZOË WANAMAKER is an actress with a multitude of Film, TV, and Theatre credits to her name. Theatre: Zoë is a 2-time Olivier Award winner, and 9-time nominee, for her work on the West End including: Once in a Lifetime (Olivier Award - Best Actress in a Revival), The Time of Your Life, Twelfth Night, Mother Courage and her Children, Othello, The Crucible, Electra (Olivier Award – Best Actress), Boston Marriage. She has also received 4 Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations for her work on Broadway in Piaf, Loot, Electra, and Awake and Sing! (won a special Drama Desk award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance). Additional West End credits include: The Devil’s Disciple, Ivanov, Wild Oats; or, The Strolling Gentleman, The Taming of the Shrew, Captain Swing, Piaf, Mrs. Klein, Dead Funny, The Glass Menagerie, All My Sons, All On Her Own and Harlequinade, The Birthday Party, Constellations. She has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, as well as other regional productions including: Cabaret, Much Ado About Nothing, Kiss Me Kate, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Crucible, The Last Yankee, The Old Neighbourhood, His Girl Friday, The Rose Tattoo, Much Ado About Nothing, The Cherry Orchard, Stevie, Elegy, and Two Ladies. TV: Zoë is most known for her British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award nominated work on “Love Hurts” (Tessa Piggot) and “Prime Suspect” (Moyra Henson), in addition to other television work on “My Family” (Susan Harper), “Doctor Who” (Cassandra), “Brittania” (Queen Antedia), and “Shadow and Bone” (Baghra). Other TV credits include: “Edge of Darkness,” “Paradise Postponed,” “Once in a Life Time,” “Agatha Christie’s Poirot” (Ariadne Oliver), and “Mr. Selfridge,” Film: Zoë received a BAFTA nomination for her role as Ada Leverson in Wilde. She has also starred in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Madame Hooch), Five Children and It (Martha), It’s a Wonderful Afterlife (Mrs. Goldman), and My Week with Marilyn (Paula Strasberg). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Gordon is editor of TheaterMania.com and president of the Outer Critics Circle. He made his Broadway debut playing himself in The Prom, and is most proud to be Felicia's husband, McKayla's father, and Umm and Omar's cat parent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amy was brought up in the world of theater. She was put on stage from the time she was nine-months-old, her father was the director and her mother was the actress, they didn't want baby sitters for their children, so if she wasn't performing, she would stay in the wardrobe department or her mother used to put her in the second row center where she could watch her. And, before she was 10-years-old, she had already worked in several plays. At a young age, Amy Irving was trained at the American Conservatory Theater and Britain's London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (L.A.M.A.D.A.). She made her off-Broadway debut at the age of 17 and, from that moment to date, she received critical acclaim, appearing in such plays as: "Heartbreak House" (1983), "The Road to Mecca" (1988), "Broken Glass" (1994), "The Three Sisters" (1997), "The Guys" (2002), "Ghosts" (2002) and "Celadine" (2004), among others.In 1976, Amy made her film debut, playing "Sue Snell", one of her most unforgettable characters in Stephen King's Carrie (1976), a classic in the horror genre, taken to the big screen by director Brian De Palma. For the next few years, Irving continued working in important films, The Fury (1978), also directed by De Palma, Voices (1979) and The Competition (1980). Later, in 1983, she gave a fine performance as "Hadass", in Barbra Streisand's Yentl (1983), and won an Oscar nomination for her great work in that successful film. Two of her best opportunities arrived in the late 80s, when she played "Anna Anderson" in Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) and "Isabelle Grossman" in the romantic comedy, Crossing Delancey (1988); she received a Golden Globe nomination for each movie.  She went on to starring roles in Voices, Honeysuckle Rose, The Competition and Micki and Maude. In 2023 Amy released her album -BORN IN A TRUNK- featuring ten cover songs pulled from her life and career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TAYLOR IMAN JONES currently stars in SIX on Broadway and recently played Andy in the new musical The Devil Wears Prada in Chicago.  Broadway: original casts of Head over Heels and Groundhog Day. Off-Broadway and regional: Roundabout’s Scotland, PA; Tale of Despereaux; The Who’s Tommy at Kennedy Center; Hamilton and American Idiot tours.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DAVID MARSHALL GRANT Broadway credits include “Bent,” so-starring with Richard Gere, and “Angels in America,” for which he was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award. He has appeared in over twenty-five movies, including “American Flyer,” “The Chamber,” “Air America,” “Stepford Wives,” and “The Devil Wears Prada.”  Television work include Bobby Kennedy in “Citizen Cohn,” “And the Band Played On,” “Thirty-Something,” “Party Down,” and “Career Opportunities in Murder and Mayhem,” which will air this summer on Hulu.  David’s first play, “Snakebit” was produced off Broadway and was nominated for a Drama Desk award, an Outer Critics Circle Award and was named one of Time Magazine’s best plays of the year. Other plays include “Current Events” at The Manhattan Theater Club, and “Pen” at Playwrights Horizons. He has been a writer/executive producer on “Brothers and Sisters,” “Nashville,” “Smash,” “Code Black,” and “A Million Little Things.”  He recently co-wrote the film, “Spoiler Alert" with Dan Savage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When she's not not behind her computer or visiting the shops in Florida and Houston, our CEO and Founder Jennifer Wheeler Kahn is probably chasing her two boys #InternHudson and #InternJudah around the house, park, library, or museum. Kahn was a professional Stage Manager for 17 years getting to work on such shows as: The Deaf West Revival of Spring Awakening (Broadway), In the Heights (National Tour), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (La Jolla Playhouse and Paper Mill Playhouse), Hold Onto me Darling (Off-Broadway at the Atlantic), Kinship (starring Cynthia Nixon and Christopher Lowell at Williamstown Theatre Festival), and many productions at The Old Globe Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. Over her last 4 years as a Stage Manager she also ran a blog on giveback and ethical style. SCENERY was born as the love child of these two parts of her heart. Ethical style, Theatre, and giving back to make theatre more accessible for others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With over 100 film and television credits to his name, award-winning actor, Adrian Holmes, has become one to watch in the entertainment industry. He can be seen starring opposite Ian Somerhalder, in the Netflix vampire-drama series, "V Wars" based on the popular bestselling book series by Jonathan Maberry. The series follows Dr. Luther Swann (Somerhalder) who enters a world of untold horror when a mysterious virus transforms his best friend, Michael Fayne (Holmes), into a murderous predator. On the film front, Holmes can be seen in the Universal Pictures' action-thriller "Skyscraper" alongside Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Holmes is well-known for starring as Nick Barron on Bravo's original award winning series, "19-2" and for his portrayal of Captain Pike on the long running CW series, "Arrow." In 2017, he took home Canada's top honor in film and television for "19-2," with the Canadian Screen Award for Best Male Lead in a Dramatic Series. The show also won Best Drama series at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards and was also nominated for a 2016 International Emmy Award. "19-2" is now streaming on Crave TV, Akorn, and Amazon. In addition to working in front of the camera, Holmes received a producer credit, for co-producing, alongside Step by Step Productions, the docudrama "Barrow: Freedom Fighter", which was shot in his homeland of Barbados.Additional film credits include Sony/TriStar Pictures' "Elysium" & "Debug", WWE Studios' "Vendetta," "Frankie & Alice", IFC's "Wrecked," and Warner Bros' "Red Riding Hood." Born in Wrexham, North Wales, with family from Barbados, Holmes grew up in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. The eldest of three boys, Holmes was a natural entertainer as a child. In junior high school, his drama class wrote a play for a local drama festival called, "The Challenge: An Environmental Happening" which was awarded Outstanding Junior Play, and Holmes awarded Outstanding Junior Actor. From that moment on he knew he wanted to pursue a career in acting.He continued to perform in stage productions throughout high school and college and studied his craft in Vancouver with a few different coaches including world-renowned coach Larry Moss, and Ivana Chubbuck. He also studied in New York at Black Nexxus Inc. held at the Times Square Arts Centre. In 2004, Holmes received his first LEO Award nomination [the Canadian Emmys], for his work in the series "The Collector" and then again in 2017 for his work in "19-2." In 2020 he had won for his work in the comedy Web-Series, "Hospital Show". When he isn't working, Holmes enjoys traveling, and tries to get back to see his family in England and Barbados as much as possible. He likes to keep active in his down time and is always up for a good round of golf. Holmes splits his time between Vancouver, LA and London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jessica Stone worked as an actress on and off-Broadway, in television and in film for decades before transitioning to directing. Broadway credits included Anything Goes, Butley, The Odd Couple, The Smell of the Kill, Design for Living, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Grease. Her directing career began in earnest with her all-male 2010 production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She has since been directing all over the country at such theaters as The Old Globe, A.C.T, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Huntington Theatre Company, Two River Theatre Company, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival among others. Productions include As You Like It, Kate Hamill’s Vanity Fair, Barefoot in the Park, Dancing at Lughnasa, Bad Dates, Ken Ludwig’s Robin Hood! (world premiere), Ripcord, Bad Jews, Arms and the Man, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Charlotte’s Web, June Moon, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Absurd Person Singular, Kimberly Akimbo (off-Broadway premiere at the Atlantic). Most recently, Stone directed the original Broadway musical Kimberly Akimbo, which opened in November 2022. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons. Jessica Stone went from working actress to one of the most in-demand Broadway directors. Listen as she describes how she manages a thriving career, marriage and motherhood and… who were the directors in her life that helped shape how she runs a rehearsal room and why now that she has found directing she really doesn’t miss being an actress - plus a deep deep dive Into the journey of Kimberly Akimbo how it went from workshop to Broadway - all that and more this week on the Little Known Facts with Ilana Levine podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Classically trained actor Nicholas Podany is quickly making a name for himself in the world of entertainment. Nicholas started his career on Broadway in the wildly successful play Harry Potter and The Cursed Child as Albus Potter. Nicholas will next be seen in the upcoming Apple TV+ series Hello Tomorrow! alongside Billy Crudup, Hank Azaria and Allison Pill. The series, which is set in a retro-future world, centers around a group of traveling salesmen hawking lunar timeshares. It will premiere in February of 2023.His other television credits include: the CW’s Hart of Dixie and Netflix’s Archive 81. Nicholas is also a singer songwriter, who served as a singer/bassist for the rock band Across Coves. The band has embarked on many tours across the country, opening for bands such as Maroon 5. Nicholas has also released four solo songs, including “Telling Myself” which was released in February 2020.Nicholas is a Juilliard graduate who currently resides in New York City.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jennifer Simard is a Tony Award, four-time Drama Desk Award, three-time Drama League Award and Lucille Lortel Award nominee. Broadway credits include: Company (Sarah); Mean Girls (Adult Woman); Disaster! (Sister Mary Downey, Tony nomination); Hello, Dolly! (Ernestina); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (opposite Mo Rocca); and the companies of Sister Act and Shrek the Musical. Off-Broadway credits include the original companies of Forbidden Broadway: SVU; The Thing About Men; and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. Film credits include The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, Wish You Were Dead and Sisters. Television credits include: "Girls5Eva," “The Good Wife,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “The King of Queens”, and “Younger.” Jennifer can be seen playing the role of 'Patsy' in Ray Romano's upcoming Feature Film directorial debut dramedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tamsen Fadal is known as a primetime evening news anchor in New York City and the host of a nationally syndicated entertainment show, and while reporting is her profession, she has won 13 Emmy awards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Liz Garbus is one of America’s most celebrated documentary filmmakers. She has received two Academy Award nominations, two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards and a Grammy nomination for her body of work, which includes “Harry & Meghan”; “The Farm: Angola, USA”; “What Happened, Miss Simone?”; “Bobby Fischer Against the World”; “Nothing Left Unsaid”; “The Fourth Estate”; “All In: The Fight for Democracy”; and “Becoming Cousteau” among others. Her scripted feature debut, “Lost Girls,” premiered at Sundance in January 2020. Since then, she’s continued her foray into the scripted world by directing the season 4 finale of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which earned her an Emmy nomination. In 2019, Garbus co-founded, alongside her Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winning husband, Dan Cogan, Story Syndicate, a premium film and television production company that provides a home for talented filmmakers, producers, journalists, thinkers and artists to create innovative, ambitious and elevated visual content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jenny Gersten serves as Line Producer for Beetlejuice on Broadway and National Tour, Executive Producer for the musical Born for This, Producer of Musical Theater for New York City Center, and Interim Artistic Director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She sometimes produces commercially, including the award -winning Off Broadway “pie shop” production of Sweeney Todd. She works with Jessica Hecht on The Campfire Project, an arts program that primarily serves Syrian and Ukrainian refugees overseas. Previously, Jenny served as Executive Director of Friends of the High Line and as the Associate Producer of The Public Theater in New York City. At sea, she is the Creative Producer of Virgin Voyages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award winning lyricist, director, writer, and conceiver, Scott Wittman co-wrote the lyrics for the hit musical Hairspray (Tony, Grammy, Olivier Award winner) with creative partner Marc Shaiman. Wittman also served as an executive producer on the hit film starring John Travolta.  Scott was nominated for a Golden Globe, Grammy, and two Emmy Awards for the original songs on NBC’s musical drama Smash. While working on the show, he co-wrote songs for Jennifer Hudson, Uma Thurman, Bernadette Peters, and Liza Minnelli. Shaiman and Wittman’s original score for the Marilyn Monroe musical Bombshell was released by Sony Records.  Scott & Marc’s Broadway writing credits include Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, which Scott also directed, Catch Me If You Can (Tony nom. for Best Musical), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Broadway and the West End.  Scott has created and directed two Broadway shows, three studio recordings, and three sold-out Carnegie Hall concerts for Patti LuPone. He has created solo shows for Christine Ebersole and Nathan Lane, as well as writing for Bette Midler’s 2015 Divine Intervention World Tour. Off-Broadway, he conceived and directed Jukebox Jackie starring Justin Vivian Bond, Cole Escola, and Bridget Everett at La Mama., and Bridget Everett’s Rockbottom at the Public Theatre. His notorious and legendary Downtown shows are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York Marc and Scott also wrote the score to Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns starring Emily Blunt, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Meryl Streep. Directed by Rob Marshall. Their song, “The Place Were Lost Things Go” was nominated for an Oscar. He recently joined the Marvel Universe with his song cowritten with Marc for “Rodgers:The Musical for “Hawkeye”. They have written a new musical version of “Some Like It Hot” to premiere on Broadway in the fall of 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Canzoniero is an award winning writer/director working out of his film studio MCM Creative in midtown Manhattan. Born in the Bronx, and raised on the east end of Long Island, Michael grew up obsessed with making movies alongside his cousin Marco Ricci. After attending the University of Notre Dame, where he had his first taste of Hollywood working as a production assistant on the iconic sports movie “Rudy”, Canzoniero was accepted to NYU Graduate Film, alma mater of his directing hero Martin Scorsese. But it was his apprenticeship of maverick indie filmmaker Abel Ferrara (King of New York, Bad Lieutenant) that he credits as the formative piece in learning to make his own highly personal, independent films. After Canzoniero’s thesis film “Pishadoo” was awarded the Princess Grace award for the nation’s best student film, Michael and his cousin Marco co-wrote and co-directed the popular 2009 SXSW comedy “The Marconi Bros.”. He followed this with several more comedic indie films starring his Tony-winning friend and frequent collaborator Dan Fogler (who recently portrayed Francis Coppola in Paramount’s The Offer). In 2022, Canzoniero theatrically released his fifth feature “Making The Day” which had its premiere at Cinequest Film Festival and is now available on Amazon video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Quentin Plair was recently seen in the Peabody Award-winning Showtime series The Good Lord Bird, and a lead role on Roswell, New Mexico, Quentin will star this November 22nd in the Hulu Limited series, Welcome to Chippendales, opposite Kumail Nanjiani. Quentin trained rigorously to dance for this breakout role as ‘Otis,’ the first and sole Black dancer at Chippendale’s at its inception. Otis is taken under the wing of self-made founder Steve Banjeree (Nanjiani) in this fictional crime series (based on true events). Below is the Vanity Fair first look image of Quentin in the role and here is the teaser trailer. Quentin will then star opposite Kathryn Hahn in the Hulu series Tiny Beautiful Things (early 2023) based on author Cheryl Strayed’s NYT bestseller and helmed by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Micayla Brewster is a freelance Social Media Manager who oversees the digital presence of brands within the world of Arts & Culture. Past and current clients range from museums to musicals, books to bands, podcasts to performers, and films to forums on advocacy, to name a few.Formerly, she was an Account Manager at Marathon Digital, a social media agency that represents Broadway shows and live entertainment clients in NYC and around the world. While there, she led innovative social media campaigns for shows such as HAMILTON, Hadestown, Be More Chill, and Freestyle Love Supreme, among others.Previously, she has worked at media and entertainment companies such as theSkimm and Paramount Pictures. She is deeply passionate about the strategy behind creative digital marketing campaigns, as well as re-watching The Office. @MicaylaBrewster, www.MicaylaBrewster.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah Ruhl is a playwright . Her plays include- How to Transcend a Happy Marriage; The Oldest Boy; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play (Pulitzer Prize finalist); The Clean House (Pulitzer Prize finalist, The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize). Other plays include For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday; Stage Kiss; Dear Elizabeth; Passion Play, a cycle (PEN American Award, The Fourth Freedom Forum Playwriting Award from The Kennedy Center); Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Helen Hayes Award); Melancholy Play; Eurydice; Orlando; and Late: a cowboy song. Her plays have been produced around the country and internationally, translated into fourteen languages. Her books include Smile, a memoir; 100 Essays I Don’t have Time to Write and Love Poems in Quarantine. Opera: Libretto for Eurydice (Metropolitan Opera, composer Matthew Aucoin). Awards: MacArthur “Genius” Grant, Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award, Whiting Writers’ Award, MacArthur Fellowship, Lily Award, PEN Center Award for a mid-career playwright. Education: M.F.A., Brown University (with Paula Vogel). Teaches at the Yale School of Drama.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Julie Boardman is an entrepreneur and Tony Award-winning producer. She recently conceived and produced I'm Still Here, a 90th anniversary celebration for the Billy Rose Theatre Division at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, featuring archival materials from the Theatre on Film and Tape archive, interviews with Broadway legends and emerging creatives and reimagined musical numbers with a cast of over 100 artists. In fall 2020 she produced In Our America: A Concert for the Soul of the Nation and Artists for Change. She is currently a co-producer on the Broadway revival of Funny Girl. Other Broadway credits include: An American in Paris (Tony nomination), Carousel (Tony nomination), Company (Tony Award), Dames at Sea, Head Over Heels, Hughie, Indecent (Tony nomination), and The Inheritance (Tony Award). Tours: An American in Paris, Dreamgirls, Peter and the Starcatcher. West End: An American in Paris (Olivier nomination), Academy Award winner Florian Zeller's The Son. Julie is a Tony voter and member of The Broadway League. She is on the Theatre Committee at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Leadership Council for the Costume Industry Coalition, the Creative Advisory Board of Festival Internazionale del Musical Milano, the Musical Theatre Advisory Board for the University of Southern California, the Advisory Board for the Musical Theatre Conservatory at Orange Country School of the Arts, and an arts advocacy coalition of arts leaders in NYC. Through her company Boardman Productions she has has worked with some of the worlds leading brands including Nike, Maybelline, Evian, Vogue, Victoria’s Secret, Microsoft, Diet Coke, VitaminWater, Samsung, Game of Thrones, Disney’s The Lion King and many more on their activations and fan experiences. With over 14 years working in experiential and promotional marketing, she is thrilled to combine all of her talents to create The Museum of Broadway. @msjulieboardman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices